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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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Eight nations targeted by new White House tariffs have hit back at President Donald Trump, accusing the U.S. of undermining trans-Atlantic relationships and risking a "dangerous downward spiral."
"As members of NATO, we are committed to strengthening Arctic security as a shared trans-Atlantic interest," Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement published on Sunday. "We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response."
Why It Matters
Trump announced on Saturday that Washington would slap these nations, traditionally some of America's closest allies, with a fresh 10 percent tariff from February 1.
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He then 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 administration has insisted it needs to control Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of fellow NATO member Denmark, for its own national security, its extensive planned missile defense program and to better protect the alliance. But onlookers say the White House's increasingly aggressive stance toward the strategic, mostly ice-covered Arctic territory slots into its hunt for natural resources and stronger influence in the Western Hemisphere.
Most worryingly for the rest of NATO, Trump officials have stubbornly refused to rule out using military force to take Greenland, although the administration has kept some form of financial deal on the table. An armed attack on the country would violate international law and likely mean the disintegration of NATO.
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What To Know
"We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland," the alliance members said in their joint statement.
Many Greenlanders are in favor of the territory eventually cutting ties with Denmark, but opinion polls show the overwhelming majority do not want the island to become part of the U.S.
"Greenland is not for sale. Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States," Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland's prime minister, said on Thursday. Trump officials have derided defenses against Russia and China in Greenland and insisted Copenhagen, which dictates Greenland's foreign and defense policy, is not equipped to be in charge of protecting the territory.
"Europe will not be blackmailed," Danish leader, Mette Frederiksen, said on Sunday.
European politicians have said the tariffs could derail a U.S. trade and tax deal with the European Union, agreed last summer, that is still waiting to be ratified.
The countries slapped with new tariffs have deployed military forces to Greenland in recent days, while high-level talks between U.S., Danish and Greenlandic officials failed to resolve the "fundamental disagreement," Denmark's foreign minister said on Wednesday.
A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers had sought to reassure Copenhagen and Nuuk during a visit to Denmark on Friday, ahead of the tariff announcement.
What People Are Saying
"Greenland does not want to be governed from the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States," Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland's prime minister, said on Thursday.
"We stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind," Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement published on Sunday.
Update 18/1/2026 10:15 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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