Arti Bali
Brussels, Jan 19 (.) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she had discussed Greenland and US actions with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“I spoke to Mark Rutte, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Friedrich Merz, and Giorgia Meloni. Together we stand firm in our commitment to uphold the sovereignty of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark,” von der Leyen said in a post on X.
She emphasised that the European union will always defend its strategic economic and security interests. “We will face these challenges to our European solidarity with steadiness and resolve,” she added.
The comments come as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed he had spoken with President Donald Trump on January 18 regarding the security situation in Greenland and the Arctic.
“Spoke with Trump regarding the security situation in Greenland and the Arctic. We will continue working on this, and I look forward to seeing him in Davos later this week,” Rutte wrote on X.
The discussions follow Trump’s announcement that he would impose a 10 percent tariff on Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The tariffs were triggered after these countries deployed troops to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, in a military exercise called “Operation Arctic Endurance.”
The NATO nations said the deployment was aimed at supporting Greenland’s autonomy, following reports that the Trump administration had expressed interest in annexing the Arctic island for “national security purposes.”
In response to their pushback, Trump stated that the tariff would take effect on February 1 and rise to 25 percent on June 1, remaining in place “until a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”
European leaders strongly condemned the planned tariffs, warning that such measures risked undermining transatlantic relations and could trigger a “dangerous downward spiral.” They stressed that the Danish-led exercise “responds to this necessity and poses no threat to anyone.”
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a television channel that European leaders would eventually “come around” and recognize the need to remain “under the U.S. security umbrella.”
Greenland, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, has been at the center of tension after Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring the resource-rich Arctic island, a stance that has alarmed European allies and stirred tensions within NATO.
Danish and Greenlandic authorities have insisted that their territorial integrity must be respected.
As the tension escalated, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said there is a “fundamental disagreement” with the United States over Greenland following talks at the White House.
Rasmussen described Wednesday’s meeting with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “frank but constructive,” but added that President Trump’s insistence on “conquering” Greenland was “totally unacceptable.”
“We made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of Denmark,” he said.
The hour-long meeting involving the US, Denmark, and Greenland did not produce a major breakthrough. However, all sides agreed to establish a high-level working group to discuss the future of the autonomous Danish territory.
Moreover, Rasmussen highlighted that there were “red lines” the US could not cross.
“It’s productive to start discussions at a high level,” Rasmussen said.
The Danish foreign minister also acknowledged that there is “an element of truth” in Trump’s argument that Arctic security should be strengthened to counter Russian and Chinese interests. However, he refuted the president’s claims about Russian and Chinese warships operating near Greenland, calling them “not true.”
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