EU chief promises ‘unwavering’ response to new tariffs as Trump stomps and threatens on social media.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday that the EU has shared concerns with the United States about security in the Arctic, but if President Donald Trump follows through with new tariffs based on the Greenland dispute, the alliance’s response will be “strong” and “united.”

Von der Leyen, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said the US risks sending its relations with its EU allies “into a worse state” that will only benefit mutual enemies.

Trump announced planned tariffs this weekend on eight countries that sent a small number of troops to Greenland last week, following statements by the US president that he wants to take over Denmark’s largest Arctic island. The Trump administration has talked about acquiring Greenland, while other White House officials have said the military’s options for taking the island are not limited.

Those statements continued despite the continued opposition and inconsistency from Greenland and Denmark and its allies, and public opinion polls in the US showed that Trump’s wishes would not be shared by the majority of Americans.

Trump said the 10 percent tariffs would go into effect on February 1 and rise to 25 percent on June 1.

“In politics as in business – a deal is a deal and when friends shake hands, it should mean something,” said von der Leyen, referring to the trade deal the EU and the US struck last summer.

Social media is abuzz

Trump’s threats have sparked anger and a flurry of diplomatic activity across Europe, as leaders consider possible countermeasures, including retaliatory tariffs and the first use of the European Union’s anti-enforcement tool.

The US president shared a series of messages on social media early Tuesday, saying there was “no turning back” from his goal of taking control of Greenland. One post Trump shared included a photo of a meeting with European leaders last year in the Oval Office, but also what appeared to be a schematic map showing the country masses of Canada and Greenland with the American stars and stripes.

It also appeared to be designed to hurt French President Emmanuel Macron, who clashed with Trump in Greenland and rejected his offer to join a board overseeing the reconstruction of Gaza. Trump shared a screenshot of a private message between the leaders, in which Macron told Trump he didn’t understand what the US president was “doing in Greenland.”

Trump’s responses to Macron, if any, were not part of the screenshot he posted on his Truth Social account early Tuesday.

Trump said in another statement that he spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and said that he will meet with European leaders who have not yet been specified this week in Davos.

Denmark prepared to speak

The Trump administration’s second aggressive statements have caused confusion and panic, as a 1951 treaty between the US and Denmark gives Washington the right to move freely and build military bases in Greenland, as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen reiterated on Monday that the government is open to discussing those issues as “friendly, cold-blooded Scandinavians.” Denmark supported the US through NATO after the attacks of September 11, 2001, sending troops to Afghanistan.

WATCH | What should Canada do?:

Carney ‘walking a tightrope’ in Greenland, says ex-soldier

As Carney weighs sending troops to Greenland against Trump’s threats, Canada’s former defense chief says NATO is facing a death-dealing trial and that the prime minister is ‘walking on the ropes’ with his decision.

But Trump and several members of his administration have questioned Denmark’s long-standing territorial claim.

The island is conveniently located between Europe and North America, making it a critical point for the US missile defense system for decades. Its mineral wealth also aligns with Washington’s desire to reduce dependence on China.

The US military maintains a permanent presence at Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Airbase) in northwest Greenland. As the world’s largest island with a population of only 57,000, Greenland is not an independent member of NATO but is covered by Denmark’s membership of the Western alliance.

Von der Leyen in his speech said that Europe must increase its independence in the face of what he described as a seismic shift in international relations, including improving security relations with allies such as Canada, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow, Sergey Lavrov said that Russia is not interested in interfering in the affairs of Greenland and that Washington knew that Moscow itself had no plans to control the island. But Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, also said Greenland was “not a natural part” of Denmark.

Stocks fell on Tuesday, and the US dollar fell for a second day in a row as Trump stepped up his pressure.

Trump’s threat of more taxes in European countries has revived the talk of the “Sell America” ​​trade that appeared after his big “Independence Day” tax last April, when investors sold US stocks, the dollar and Treasuries.

“Even if there is a breakdown this episode will still make many question the credibility of any deal with Trump so tax uncertainty will remain high,” said MUFG Europe economist Henry Cook.

Other countries under Trump’s new tariff threats are Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.