Europe’s response to US President Donald Trump’s threats will be “unwavering, united and balanced,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech on Tuesday, while expressing solidarity with Greenland and Denmark.
On Saturday, Trump said he would impose a 10 percent import tax starting in February on goods from eight European countries because of their opposition to the US’s control of Greenland.
Greenland is a colony of Denmark, a member of both the European Union and the US-led NATO.
These costs are “a mistake, especially among long-standing partners,” said von der Leyen at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which saw leaders from around the world gather.
“Getting us into trouble can help those who are against both of us to commit to not getting into a strategic position,” he said.
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“Our response will be unwavering, united and balanced.”
The EU’s top official also expressed solidarity with Greenland and Denmark, adding that their sovereignty is “non-negotiable.”
He went on to say that Europe will be open to cooperation with the US on security in the Arctic.
“We need to work with all our regional partners to strengthen our common security. That’s why we will look at how to strengthen our security relations with partners such as the UK, Canada, Norway, Iceland and others,” he added.
Overnight, Trump made a series of posts on his social network Truth Social, including an artificially created image of himself, US Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio planting the American flag in Greenland.
Trump also shared a text he said was from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who said in the text that he was “committed to finding a way forward.”
EU member states are preparing for an emergency summit to discuss Trump’s growing threats to Greenland later this week as the bloc weighs the use of its trade “bazooka” and other response measures.
This comes as Trump linked his aggressive stance on Greenland to last year’s decision not to honor him with the Nobel Peace Prize, telling Norway’s prime minister he no longer felt “an obligation to think only about peace,” two European officials told The Associated Press on Monday.
Trump did not rule out the use of force to achieve his goal of acquiring Greenland, NBC News reported, citing an exclusive telephone interview with an American news channel in which Trump was asked whether he would use force to take Greenland.
“No comment,” Trump said.
The president stated that these charges were in retaliation for sending a symbolic number of troops from European countries to Greenland last week, which he said was essential to the US’s “Golden Dome” missile defense system.
Trump’s fiery speech is shaking up Europe, where members will meet on Thursday after a weekend in which thousands of people took part in anti-American protests in Denmark and the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk.
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