Trump Threatens Tariffs Over Greenland Takeover Plan, Sparking NATO Tensions

President Donald Trump has significantly escalated tensions with allied nations after warning that his administration might impose new tariffs on countries unwilling to back U.S. efforts to take control of Greenland. The statement has provoked strong reactions in Denmark, Greenland, and throughout NATO.

During a White House event, Trump called Greenland strategically critical to U.S. national security and indicated that economic pressure, tariffs included, could be leveraged against governments blocking Washington's objectives. He pointed to the Arctic's increasing significance as Russia and China expand their presence there, once more stressing Greenland's location and natural resources. That said, he didn't specify which countries might face tariffs, how severe they could be, or what legal basis would justify such actions.

His comments came while a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers visited Copenhagen, seemingly trying to defuse the situation. During talks with Danish and Greenlandic officials, the delegation attempted to reduce tensions following repeated, categorical rejections of any notion that Greenland could be seized or bought by the United States. Denmark has continually made clear that Greenland is not for sale, while Greenland's autonomous government has underscored its right to self-determination. Indigenous representatives, including members of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, have criticized the language as disrespectful and evocative of colonial thinking. Back in the United States, some lawmakers have also pushed back, introducing proposals designed to prevent or constrain any unilateral move to annex territory held by a NATO ally.

Throughout Europe, the response has been marked by worry and a sense of urgency. Denmark has ramped up diplomatic engagement and strengthened conversations around defense planning in the North Atlantic, while other NATO countries have intensified discussions on Arctic security and sovereignty. Analysts caution that tying tariffs to territorial goals risks deepening existing fractures in transatlantic relations during a period when cooperation is viewed as critical for managing growing competition in the Arctic.

Legal scholars and former officials have pointed to the substantial legal and political obstacles facing any forced transfer of Greenland. They emphasize that international law, along with the consent of both Denmark and Greenland, would be necessary, and that any effort to sidestep those principles would seriously damage alliance ties. Trade experts also warn that while tariffs have been deployed as a political instrument before, threatening them to coerce countries over a territorial dispute would be extremely uncommon and could trigger retaliation, destabilize markets, and undermine global trade.

As things develop, significant questions persist. It remains uncertain which countries could be hit with tariffs, how such steps would be legally defended, how Denmark and Greenland might react beyond diplomatic objections, and whether Congress or international bodies will act to block any unilateral measures. At this point, Trump's warning has thrust Greenland into the spotlight internationally, turning it from a strategic issue into a diplomatic crisis with sweeping legal, economic, and political implications that reach well beyond the Arctic.