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By Jordan King
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Donald Trump has issued a fresh warning amid an intensifying diplomatic stand-off over the future of Greenland as he took aim at Denmark for failing to "get the Russian threat away", before vowing "It will be done".
The U.S. president wrote on Truth Social late Sunday: “NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that ‘you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland.’ Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to do anything about it. Now it is time, and it will be done!!! President Donald J. Trump.”
Newsweek has contacted the White House, the Government of Greenland, and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment, via emails sent outside of regular working hours.
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Why It Matters
Trump's post marks the latest comments from the president in a growing row over the island, which is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. His declaration that tariffs would be imposed on eight European countries opposing US ambitions to take control of the territory has led to warnings from NATO nations that they risk a "dangerous downward spiral", and led to claims the EU-US trade deal, agreed last summer, could be in jeopardy.
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What To Know
Trump has repeatedly claimed that Greenland, which he says he wants America to acquire for national security reasons, is under pressure from Russia and China. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One earlier this month, he said: “You have Russian destroyers and submarines, and China destroyers and submarines all over the place. We’re not going to let that happen.”
Major General Søren Andersen, commander of Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command in Greenland, has pushed back against this narrative, telling the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network: “No. We don’t see a threat from China or Russia today. But we look into a potential threat, and that is what we are training for.”
It comes after Trump on Saturday declared that eight European countries—Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland—would be subjected to a 10 percent tariff on February 1 if they opposed the U.S. on acquiring Greenland.
He also threatened the same countries with a hike to a 25 percent duty on June 1 and said the measures would apply "until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland."
The nations hit back in a joint statement on Sunday, accusing the U.S. of undermining trans-Atlantic relationships and risking a "dangerous downward spiral.”
"We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland," the alliance members said.
What People Are Saying
A White House official told POLITICO: “The President has been clear that he believes Greenland is a strategically important location that is critical from the standpoint of national security. And he is confident Greenlanders would be better served as part of the United States.”
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland's prime minister said last week: "Greenland does not want to be governed from the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.”
What Happens Next
European finance ministers from France and Germany meet on Monday before traveling to Brussels to coordinate a wider response to the U.S. tariffs.
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