LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged calm Monday after the Trump Greenland tariffs threat jolted European allies into talks about retaliation and raised fresh questions about NATO unity. Starmer said allies should keep channels open and avoid turning a dispute over Greenland into a broader trade fight that could damage security cooperation and the economy, Jan. 19, 2026.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will impose a new 10% tariff starting Feb. 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland, and raise it to 25% June 1 unless a deal is reached for what he called the “Complete and Total purchase of Greenland,” according to Al Jazeera’s summary of his statement. The Trump Greenland tariffs move comes as several European countries have sent small military teams to Greenland at Denmark’s request amid heightened Arctic security concerns.
Trump Greenland tariffs push EU toward countermeasures
European Union officials have spent the past two days weighing how to respond if the Trump Greenland tariffs take effect, including reviving a suspended package of tariffs targeting about 93 billion euros ($107.7 billion) of U.S. imports, Reuters reported from Brussels. The same report said EU leaders plan to discuss options at an emergency summit Thursday, while some governments are urging the bloc to consider using its “anti-coercion” tool, designed for situations where a trading partner uses economic pressure to force political concessions.
Starmer struck a notably different tone. At an emergency news conference, he said tariffs should not be used “against allies” and warned against escalation, adding: “A tariff war is in nobody’s interests,” according to Reuters’ account of his remarks. He also said he does not believe Trump would pursue military action over Greenland, while emphasizing that Greenland’s future should be decided by Greenlanders and Denmark.
The Associated Press reported that Starmer described the threatened tariffs as “completely wrong” and said Britain was not preparing retaliatory duties, while EU leaders signaled they were ready “to defend ourselves against any form of coercion.” AP’s coverage also noted a planned meeting in Brussels between Danish and Greenlandic officials and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, which was set before the latest escalation.
A dispute with a long paper trail
The Trump Greenland tariffs standoff is the sharpest step yet in a storyline that has resurfaced repeatedly since Trump’s first term. In 2019, Greenland’s foreign minister dismissed reports that the island might be sold, telling Reuters: “We are open for business, but we’re not for sale.” That exchange was documented in Reuters’ 2019 report.
Days later, Trump canceled a planned Denmark visit after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen rejected the idea of discussing a sale, a move that underscored how quickly Greenland-related disputes can spill into diplomacy. The Guardian reported the cancellation in August 2019.
Europe’s readiness to retaliate also reflects hard-earned experience from earlier tariff battles. In 2018, the EU moved to slap counter-tariffs after U.S. metal duties, a pattern that helped shape today’s playbook for rapid response. Texas Public Radio summarized that EU retaliation as it took effect.
For now, Starmer is betting that private diplomacy can cool the moment before the Trump Greenland tariffs become reality. The next tests will come quickly: EU leaders’ Thursday discussions, NATO consultations on Arctic posture, and whether Washington signals any willingness to separate Greenland politics from trade penalties.
