Germany pledges joint EU counter to US tariffs over Greenland

Germany has declared it will work with European partners to craft a unified response to new US tariff announcements explicitly tied to the issue of Greenland. The move signals a coordinated transatlantic pushback against what European capitals view as an unprecedented use of trade policy for territorial acquisition.

Berlin's Call for a Unified Front

Following US President Donald Trump's statement on Saturday, German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said Berlin had taken note of the US president's comments. "It is in close coordination with European partners. Together we will decide on appropriate reactions at the appropriate time," Kornelius stated. This emphasizes a strategy of collective action rather than individual national responses among the affected European states.

Details of the US Tariff Announcement

President Trump announced that Washington would impose tariffs on goods from eight European countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, and Finland. The duties are scheduled to start at 10% on February 1 and escalate to 25% by June 1. Trump explicitly stated the measures would remain until a deal is reached for the "complete and total purchase of Greenland" from Denmark, claiming "World Peace is at stake" and that Denmark is powerless against Russian and Chinese desires for the territory.

The Core Issue of Greenland's Sovereignty

The tariffs represent a dramatic escalation in the longstanding US interest in Greenland, a vast, mineral-rich Danish autonomous territory in the Arctic. President Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire for the US to acquire the island, citing national security and strategic competition with Russia and China. Both the Danish government in Copenhagen and the local authorities in Greenland have consistently and firmly rejected any possibility of a sale, asserting Danish sovereignty is non-negotiable.