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US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose new tariffs on some European allies if they do not agree to sell Greenland to the United States, but the Dutch foreign minister has described Trump’s announcement as blackmail.
“It’s blackmail what he’s doing… and it’s not necessary. It doesn’t help the alliance (NATO) and it also doesn’t help Greenland,” Foreign Minister David van Weel said in an interview on Dutch television on Sunday, according to Reuters.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, President Trump announced that additional 10% import tariffs will take effect on February 1 for eight European countries, including the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and France, that have agreed to contribute personnel to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) exercises in Greenland.
The foreign minister said the purpose of the Greenland mission was to demonstrate US-Europe’s willingness to protect Greenland and oppose President Trump’s diplomatic ties to the islands and trade.
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Trump has expressed interest in taking full ownership of the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland, saying it is crucial to US security due to its strategic location and mineral resources. However, leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have expressed displeasure over Trump’s interest, saying the island is not for sale and they do not want to be part of the United States.
Reuters’s reporting contributed to this article.
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