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European Union leaders, on January 17, 2026, warned of a “dangerous downward spiral” over U.S. President Donald Trump’s vow to implement increasing tariffs on European allies until the U.S. is allowed to buy Greenland. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The United States will also suffer if President Donald Trump implements threats to impose tariffs on European countries opposing his plans to acquire Greenland, a French Minister said on Sunday (January 18, 2026).
“In this escalation of tariffs, he has a lot to lose as well, as do his own farmers and industrialists,” French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard told broadcasters Europe 1 and CNews.
Mr. Trump has threatened to impose a 10% tariff from February 1 on all goods sent to the United States from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland.
All are part of the European Union, except for the United Kingdom and Norway.
That levy would then be increased to 25% on June 1 “until such time as a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland”, said Mr. Trump, who claims the United States needs the Arctic island, an autonomous Danish territory, for its national security.
An extraordinary meeting of EU ambassadors has been called in Brussels for Sunday (January 18, 2026) afternoon.
“The European Union has potential strike force” from a commercial standpoint, Ms. Genevard said.
“This is a response that must be handled with caution, because this escalation could be deadly — but it could also be deadly for the United States.”
Any U.S. takeover of Greenland would be “unacceptable”, the minister added.
“It is clear that the Europeans will not let the United States do as it pleases,” she said.
Published – January 18, 2026 04:29 pm IST
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Trump also ‘has a lot to lose’ from threatened tariffs: French Minister
