1 hour ago
Last Updated:January 19, 2026, 23:19 IST
Trump has intensified his push to wrest control of Greenland from Denmark, threatening tariffs on European allies who opposed his actions.
US President Donald Trump (Photo: AP)
US President Donald Trump on Monday declined to rule out the possibility of using force to annexe Greenland, while vowing to push ahead with his tariffs on European countries for opposing his plans to take control of the Arctic nation.
In a brief telephone interview with NBC News, Trump said “no comment" when asked to say if he would rule out seizing Greenland by force. He stressed that he would “100%" go ahead with tariffs on European countries if the US doesn’t get Greenland.
“Europe ought to focus on the war with Russia and Ukraine, because, frankly, you see what that’s gotten, them. That’s what Europe should focus on — not Greenland," he added.
Trump has ramped up his rhetoric against Greenland, a largely self-governing part of Denmark, in recent weeks, saying the US would take control of it “one way or the other." He also threatened to impose 10% tariffs on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland from February 1, until the US is allowed to purchase the Arctic island.
Trump also repeated his frustration with Norway over the Nobel Peace Prize, saying that “Norway totally controls it despite what they say." This came after his fiery letter to Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, where the US president said he no longer thought “purely of Peace" after being snubbed for the Nobel Prize.
READ MORE: ‘Will Go Down In History’, ‘Selfish Interests’: Russia, China Hit Out At Trump On Greenland
Trump’s Greenland Plans
Trump’s aggressive rhetoric to bring Greenland under US control has threatened to upend the NATO alliance that is already under strain over the war in Ukraine and Trump’s refusal to protect allies which do not spend enough on defence. His remarks have also prompted protests in Greenland, as people rejected US push to assert sovereignty.
It has also plunged trade relations between the European Union and the US, the bloc’s biggest export market, into renewed uncertainty after the two sides painstakingly reached a trade deal last year in response to Trump’s swingeing tariffs.
European leaders have denounced Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on countries opposing his Greenland plans, with Germany and France describing the move as “blackmail". The European Union has said it will hold an emergency summit to consider its response, while stressing that its preference is to engage rather than escalate.
Greenland’s leadership has also rejected external pressure. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the territory would not be intimidated, asserting Greenland’s right to make its own decisions as a democratic society.
The US President has repeatedly argued that Greenland is critical to American national security, despite the United States already maintaining a military presence on the island and having defence agreements with Denmark, a fellow NATO member. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
First Published:
January 19, 2026, 21:55 IST
News world 'Will 100% Follow Through On Tariffs If No Agreement On Greenland’: Trump Threatens Europe
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