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U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested imposing tariffs on nations that do not align with his ambitions to acquire Greenland.
During a White House meeting, President Trump stated he “may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland,” which is a self-governing territory under Danish sovereignty.
The President did not specify which countries might be subject to these potential tariffs, nor did he elaborate on the legal basis he would invoke to implement such import taxes in pursuit of his objective.
Beyond Denmark and Greenland, numerous other countries oppose the proposed acquisition, and significant skepticism has been voiced within the United States. Concurrent with President Trump’s remarks, a bipartisan congressional delegation was visiting Greenland to demonstrate support for the territory.
The 11-member delegation included Republican lawmakers who have expressed concerns regarding the President’s calls for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, citing national security considerations. The delegation met with members of parliament, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Greenlandic Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat and leader of the delegation, stated that the purpose of the visit was to listen to local perspectives and convey those viewpoints back to Washington “to lower the temperature.”
President Trump has asserted that Greenland is crucial for U.S. security, suggesting Washington would obtain it “the easy way” or “the hard way,” seemingly alluding to either a purchase or a forceful takeover.
“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” President Trump stated at Friday’s White House meeting concerning rural healthcare.
Greenland, while sparsely populated, possesses significant natural resources and its geographic location between North America and the Arctic renders it strategically important for early warning systems against missile attacks and for monitoring maritime activity in the region.
The United States maintains a permanent presence of over 100 military personnel at its Pituffik base, a missile-monitoring station on Greenland’s northwestern coast that has been operated by the U.S. since World War II.
Under existing agreements with Denmark, the U.S. has the authority to deploy as many troops as it deems necessary to Greenland.
However, President Trump has stated that the U.S. needs to “own” Greenland to adequately defend it against potential Russian or Chinese aggression.
Denmark has cautioned that military intervention would jeopardize NATO, the transatlantic defense alliance in which the U.S. is the dominant partner.
NATO operates on the principle of mutual defense, wherein allies are obligated to assist each other in the event of an external attack. The alliance has never confronted a scenario in which one member might employ force against another.
European allies have expressed solidarity with Denmark in this matter.
They have also emphasized the strategic importance of the Arctic region to their own security interests, asserting that its security should be a collective NATO responsibility involving the United States.
Consequently, several nations, including France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, have dispatched small contingents of troops to Greenland in what has been described as a reconnaissance mission.
French President Emmanuel Macron indicated that “land, air, and sea assets” would be deployed imminently.
The visit of the U.S. congressional delegation follows unsuccessful high-level discussions in Washington aimed at dissuading President Trump from pursuing his plans.
The delegation includes senators and members of the U.S. House of Representatives who are vocal advocates for NATO.
While Senator Coons and the majority of the group are Democratic critics of President Trump, the delegation also includes moderate Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski.
Greenlandic MP Aaja Chemnitz expressed optimism following the meeting with U.S. legislators. Speaking to the BBC, she stated: “We need friends. We need allies.”
When asked about the divergence in perspectives between the White House and the positions of Greenland and Denmark, she responded: “It’s a marathon, not a short sprint.”
“The pressure from the U.S. side is something that we’ve seen since 2019. It would be naive to think that everything is over now.”
She added: “It’s changing almost hour by hour. So as much support as we can get, the better.”
Senator Murkowski is a co-sponsor of a bipartisan bill designed to block any attempt to annex Greenland.
Conversely, a Republican congressman has introduced a competing bill in support of annexing the island.
President Trump’s envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, stated on Fox News on Friday that the U.S. should engage directly with Greenlandic leaders, rather than Denmark.
“I do believe that there’s a deal that should and will be made once this plays out,” he said.
“The president is serious. I think he’s laid the markers down.”
“He’s told Denmark what he’s looking for, and now it’s a matter of having Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio and Vice-President JD Vance make a deal.”
“The United States has always been a welcoming party. We don’t go in there trying to conquer anybody and trying to take over anybody’s country.”
“We say, ‘Listen. We represent liberty. We represented economic strength. We represent protection.'”
The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met with Vice President Vance and Senator Rubio at the White House on Wednesday.
According to a Danish official who spoke to the BBC on background to discuss the meeting, the U.S. Vice President suggested finding a “middle ground” that would satisfy President Trump, Denmark, and Greenland.
The official stated that the possibility of a U.S. military takeover of Greenland was not raised during the White House meeting.
“We have never been in any discussions with any senior official or minister about the prospects of the United States sending in” troops to Greenland, the official stated.
Nevertheless, the Danish official indicated that Denmark is taking President Trump’s stated objective of acquiring Greenland seriously.
“It is our working hypothesis that on this issue what he says is what he means,” the official concluded.
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