Closing summary
Thank you for following today’s live blog on the escalating crisis over Greenland.
Here’s a summary of everything that happened:
Donald Trump said he will impose 10% tariffs on eight countries - the UK, Norway, and six EU members - over their opposition to his plans to take over Greenland.
The tariffs will be imposed on all goods exported to the United States by the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland from 1 February, followed by a 25% rate from 1 June.
Keir Starmer condemned the tariffs as “completely wrong”, insisting that Greenland is part of Denmark and “its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes”.
The tariffs were also criticised by senior EU officials, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas.
Trump’s announcement came after he threatened to impose tariffs on countries that do not “go along” with his plan to annex Greenland on Friday. He doubled down on those statements by posting on Truth Social an image of himself accompanied with the caption “Mister Tariff” and “The Tariff King”.
Earlier today, thousands gathered all around Denmark and in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, as part of a planned “Hands Off Greenland” action protesting Donald Trump and his threats to take over the island. “We are demonstrating against American statements and ambitions to annex Greenland. We demand respect for the Danish Realm and for Greenland’s right to self-determination,” Camilla Siezing, chair of the Joint Association Inuit, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan congressional delegation continued to meet with Danish and Greenlandic leaders in Copenhagen, where they maintained their support of both Greenland and Denmark in direct contrast with statements coming from the White House.
With Nato troops in Greenland this week, some Greenland residents are now preparing for the worst, either stocking up on supplies or readying themselves to flee quickly.
Greenland minister Naaja Nathanielsen has praised European countries’ responses to Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“I am amazed to witness the first responses from the targeted countries,” the minister for mineral resources said in a message posted on LinkedIn.
“I am thankful and hopeful for diplomacy and allieship to prevail.”
Updated
Zack Polanski, the leader of the UK’s Green party, has accused Keir Starmer of appeasing a “bully” in Donald Trump – a strategy which he says ended in “total humiliation”.
Polanski said: “Keir Starmer did everything he could to be US poodle and his strategy has ended in total humiliation.”
He added that both Starmer and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage “are puppets of a hostile foreign nation”.
It’s obvious that if someone is a bully - you don’t just keep appeasing them. Disastrous strategy by Labour.
The Democratic members of the US House of Representatives’ foreign affairs committee have accused Donald Trump of prioritising his “foreign escapades” over the interests of the American people.
In a statement posted on X, the members said: “The American people do not want to buy Greenland. They want affordable healthcare.
“Trump is ignoring Americans’ affordability concerns with his foreign escapades, and making things worse with more tariffs. This will only further raise costs for the American people.”
• This post was amended on 19 January 2026 to clarify that the statement came from the Democratic members of the US House foreign affairs committee.
Updated
Finland’s president has joined the long list of European leaders who have condemned Donald Trump’s latest tariffs.
Alexander Stubb echoed remarks made by the Finnish prime minister, Petteri Orpo, saying: “Finland proceeds from the principle that matters between allies are resolved through discussion and shared rules of the game, not by creating pressure.”
He added: “European countries stand united. We emphasize the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty. We support Denmark and Greenland.
“Dialogue with the United States continues. Tariffs would be detrimental to the transatlantic relationship and could lead to a harmful spiral.”
Updated
As the Guardian reported, Republican senator Thom Tillis, who co-chairs the Senate’s Nato Observer Group alongside his Democrat counterpart Jeanne Shaheen, took to social media to condemn Donald Trump’s latest tariffs.
In a separate joint statement, the pair criticised the US president’s plans to take over Greenland.
They said:
There is no need, or desire, for a costly acquisition or hostile military takeover of Greenland when our Danish and Greenlandic allies are eager to work with us on Arctic security, critical minerals and other priorities under the framework of long-standing treaties.
Updated
Finland’s prime minister has warned that Donald Trump’s latest tariffs are in “no one’s interest”.
Petteri Orpo acknowledged concerns over Arctic security raised by the US, but said “Finland proceeds from the premise that matters among allies are resolved through discussion and shared rules of the game, not by creating pressure”.
Posting on X, he added: “Finland wants to strengthen Arctic security together with all allies, while respecting the territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland.”
Orpo continued: “Tariffs would be harmful to both Europe and the United States. They are in no one’s interest.”
A Republican senator has pushed back on Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on European countries.
Thom Tillis, who co-chairs the Senate’s Nato Observer Group alongside his Democrat counterpart Jeanne Shaheen, said the plans would benefit “adversaries” of the United States, including China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
He said: “This response to our own allies for sending a small number of troops to Greenland for training is bad for America, bad for American businesses, and bad for America’s allies.
“It’s great for Putin, Xi and other adversaries who want to see Nato divided.”
Tillis added that the announcement “hurts the legacy of President Trump and undercuts all the work he has done to strengthen the Nato alliance over the years”.
Updated
A third voting bloc in the European Parliament has said they will halt the ratification of the EU-US trade deal next week, signalling the biggest material confrontation between the two sides since Donald Trump came to power.
The centre-right and largest group, the European People’s Party, and the second-biggest bloc of MEPs in the Socialists & Democrats group have already said they will pull the plug on the parliamentary legal process on Wednesday.
Now, the liberal Renew group has said it will join them.
In a statement, Valerie Heyer, the French MEP and head of the group, said:
The threats by President Donald Trump to impose increased customs duties on states refusing to agree with his plan to annex Greenland are unacceptable.
These announcements follow many other aggressive actions towards the EU. Therefore, it is now time to move from reliance to deterrence.
Consequently, Renew Europe cannot vote the EU-US Turnberry trade deal.
Furthermore, the EU should be prepared to deploy targeted and proportionate countermeasures. The activation of the EU Anti-Coercion Instrument should be explicitly considered, as it was designed precisely for situations of economic intimidation of this nature.
Trump’s threats of US tariffs on European allies play into the hands of China and Russia, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said.
“China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among allies,” Kallas said in a post on X.
“Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity. If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside Nato.”
The prime minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, has said that “threats have no place among allies”.
“Norway’s position is firm: Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Norway fully supports the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. There is broad agreement in NATO on the need to strengthen security in the Arctic, including in Greenland,” he posted on X.
Demonstrators braved the cold weather across Greenland today to protest against Donald Trump’s threats to take control of the Arctic island, as well as his latest wave of tariffs against European countries.
Lisa O’Carroll is a Guardian senior staff correspondent who writes about international trade, post-Brexit EU affairs and Anglo-Irish affairs
The plug is expected to be pulled on Donald Trump’s tariff deal with the EU by the European parliament on Wednesday after the two biggest blocs of MEPs said they would halt the legal ratification process in response the US president’s latest threats.
Manfred Weber, the head of the European People’s Party, the largest voting bloc in the institute, said “approval is not possible” in light of the latest events.
The remarks were backed by the second biggest voting bloc, the Socialists and Democrats (S&Ds).
Kathleen Van Brempt, vice president for trade for the S&Ds, said there could be “no trade deal under given circumstances”.
Together they represent 324 of the 720 seats in the parliament and are expected to be backed by the Greens and other groups.
“The EPP is in favour of the EU–U.S. trade deal, but given Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland, approval is not possible at this stage. The 0% tariffs on U.S. products must be put on hold,” Weber said .
The deal entered into force last year in the US with tariffs of 15% being imposed on imports from the EU. But much to the annoyance of Trump, it has yet to be ratified by the European Parliament, which was already seeking amendments.
German MEP Bernd Lange, who chairs the EU’s influential trade parliamentary committee, said: “In view of the threat of imposing an additional 10% tariff from 1 February, I cannot imagine that we will continue business as usual and I assume that we will suspend our continued work.”
He continued: “For me, there is no question that this is another new step with which the US side does not comply with the Scotland deal.
“We have already discussed intensively in a parliament about our obligation under the deal and were skeptical as to whether we can make US products duty-free if there is no reliability at all on the other side of the Atlantic that the deal will be adhered to. We will discuss this question again with the political groups on Wednesday.”
Updated
Ambassadors from the EU’s 27 countries will convene for an emergency meeting as the crisis over Greenland escalates.
Cyprus, which holds the six-month rotating EU presidency, has arranged for the meeting to take place on Sunday, according to the Reuters news agency.
Lisa O’Carroll is a Guardian senior staff correspondent who writes about international trade, post-Brexit EU affairs and Anglo-Irish affairs
Denmark has attempted to lower the diplomatic temperature in the growing crisis over Greenland.
In a statement, Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen referred to “constructive” talks with US secretary of state Marco Rubio last week. He also acknowledged that more had to be done to increase the security in the Arctic.
“That is why we and Nato partners are stepping up in full transparency with our American allies,” Rasmussen said.
Updated
The Netherlands’ foreign affairs minister said the country has “taken note” of Donald Trump’s tariffs announcement.
In a statement posted on social media, David van Weel said: “Military efforts related to exercises in Greenland are intended to contribute to security in the Arctic region.”
He added that the Netherlands is in “close contact” with the European Commission and its partners as it formulates a response.
Updated
Transatlantic relations in 'dangerous downward spiral', EU leaders warn
Lisa O’Carroll is a Guardian senior staff correspondent who writes about international trade, post-Brexit EU affairs and Anglo-Irish affairs
EU leaders have warned Donald Trump that “tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral” in the growing crisis over Greenland.
In a joint statement delivered from Paraquay, where they signed the historic Mercosur trade deal, the president of the European Council of EU leaders, António Costa, and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, leaned heavily into the arguments over Greenland’s sovereignty.
Here’s their statement in full:
Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law. They are essential for Europe and for the international community as a whole.
We have consistently underlined our shared transatlantic interest in peace and security in the Arctic, including through Nato. The pre-coordinated Danish exercise, conducted with allies, responds to the need to strengthen Arctic security and poses no threat to anyone.
The EU stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland. Dialogue remains essential, and we are committed to building on the process begun already last week between the Kingdom of Denmark and the US.
Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty.
Updated
Watch: Greenland’s PM joins protest over Trump tariffs threat
Liam Byrne, the chair of the business and trade committee in the UK House of Commons, has accused Donald Trump of engaging in “pressure politics” over his latest tariffs threat.
Byrne said on social media that using “tariffs to punish allies for lawful security decisions sets a dangerous precedent”.
He urged the UK to “stand with its allies to force a rethink - calmly, collectively - but with consequences”.
“We will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed,” Sweden’s prime minister has said in response to Donald Trump’s tariffs threat.
Ulf Kristersson insisted that “only Denmark and Greenland decide on issues concerning Denmark and Greenland”.
He highlighted his commitment to “always stand up for my country, and for our allied neighbours”.
Posting on X, he continued: “This is an EU issue that concerns many more countries than those now being singled out.
“Sweden is now having intensive discussions with other EU countries, Norway and the UK for a collective response.”
To remind readers: Trump earlier today announced that Sweden, the UK, Denmark, Norway, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland are all set to face 10% tariffs on goods exported to the US from 1 February, with the rate rising to 25% on 1 June.
Updated
Trump's tariffs are 'completely wrong' - Starmer
Keir Starmer has condemned Donald Trump’s latest tariffs as “completely wrong” as he insisted that Greenland is part of Denmark and “its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes”.
The UK prime minister said:
Our position on Greenland is very clear – it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes.
We have also made clear that Arctic Security matters for the whole of Nato and allies should all do more together to address the threat from Russia across different parts of the Arctic.
Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration.
Updated
Donald Trump’s tariffs on European countries opposing US plans to take control of Greenland “come as a surprise”, Denmark’s foreign minister has said.
“The purpose of the increased military presence in Greenland, to which the [US] president refers, is precisely to enhance security in the Arctic,” Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Agence France-Presse.
“We are in close contact with the European Commission and our other partners on the matter,” he added.
Updated
Ellie Chowns, the leader of the UK parliamentary Green Party, has accused Donald Trump of seeking to “bully” countries into complying with his demands after his latest tariffs threats.
She said:
Donald Trump treats the international stage like a schoolyard playground, attempting to bully and brute force other countries into compliance with his imperialist agenda. The UK cannot continue to appease an erratic, unreliable leader under the guise of a “special relationship.”
Updated
Lisa O’Carroll is a Guardian senior staff correspondent who writes about international trade, post-Brexit EU affairs and Anglo-Irish affairs
French president Emmanuel Macron has hit back at Donald Trump’s latest threats, warning “no amount of intimidation” will persuade European nations to change their course on Greenland.
Posting on social media, Macron said: “France is committed to the sovereignty and independence of nations, in Europe and elsewhere. This guides our choices. It underpins our commitment to the United Nations and our Charter.”
He added: “It is for this reason that we support and will continue to support Ukraine, and that we have built a coalition of the willing for robust and lasting peace, to defend these principles and our security.
“It is also for this reason that we have decided to join the exercise decided by Denmark in Greenland. We stand by this decision, not least because it concerns security in the Arctic and at the borders of Europe.
“No intimidation or threats will influence us, whether in Ukraine, Greenland, or anywhere else in the world when we are faced with such situations.”
The French president described Trump’s tariff threats as “unacceptable”, adding that they “have no place in this context”.
He continued: “Europeans will respond to them in a united and coordinated manner if they were to be confirmed. We will know how to uphold European sovereignty.”
Updated
European Council president António Costa has said he is “co-ordinating a joint response” to Donald Trump’s tariffs announcement.
“What we can say is that the European Union will always be very firm in defending international law, wherever it may be, which of course begins within the territory of the member states of the European Union,” Costa said.
“For now, I am coordinating a joint response from the member states of the European Union on this issue,” he added.
Lisa O’Carroll is a Guardian senior staff correspondent who writes about international trade, post-Brexit EU affairs and Anglo-Irish affairs
Donald Trump’s threat to impose fresh tariffs on eight European countries – the UK, Norway, and six EU member states - is a wrecking ball to the carefully stitched deals he concluded with those countries last summer.
The UK’s trade deal, as it was branded last May, is in fact a thin tariff deal on a limited number of products including cars, beef, aerospace, ethanol and steel, with a 10% tariff deal on other exports ranging from salmon to bone china.
The EU’s deal is broader but also has a carve-out for cars and a 15% all inclusive deal on most other products including wine and spirits.
The latest threat will be seen as another attempt by a man – sometimes ally, sometimes adversary – to win an argument using one of his favourite weapons.
Both the EU and the UK are in the middle of sensitive negotiations to reduce tariffs he has already imposed particularly on steel - which are rated at 25% for British exports and 50% for EU products.
But today’s threat underlines the unstable nature of any deal with Trump.
Updated
Nigel Farage has condemned Donald Trump’s tariffs on European countries, as he warned that they “will hurt us”.
Posting on social media, the Reform UK leader said:
We don’t always agree with the US government and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us. If Greenland is vulnerable to malign influences, then have another look at Diego Garcia.
Farage’s post referred to the UK’s deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, which he has repeatedly condemned.
Under the deal, the UK will hand over sovereignty of the islands but retain control over a joint UK-US military base on the island of Diego Garcia for an “initial period” of 99 years.
Updated
Donald Trump said European countries were playing a “very dangerous game” as he condemned their decision to deploy military personnel to Greenland and announced a new wave of tariffs against them.
The UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland are all set to face 10% tariffs on goods exported to the US from 1 February, with the rate rising to 25% on 1 June, Trump said.
As a reminder, the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and the Netherlands this week said they would send troops to Greenland to participate in a so-called reconnaissance mission.
The UK has sent one military officer, while France and Germany deployed 15 and 13, respectively.
On Thursday, France’s president Emmanuel Macron said an “initial team of French soldiers” had already been deployed to the Arctic island, adding that they “will be reinforced in the coming days by land, air and sea assets”.
Updated
Jakub Krupa is a Guardian breaking news reporter and the Europe live blogger
Former UK national security adviser and retired senior diplomat, Lord Peter Ricketts, has told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme that “the right thing for the European countries is to react very calmly” and “go on making the case that America can have all its security interests served by working with Denmark and with Nato”.
“Remember that in the cold war, America had 10,000 troops in Greenland, so it’s entirely open to the Americans to increase their military presence without going unilateral and these kind of threatening approaches,” he said.
He added that European leaders could in private make clear that “this tariff business isn’t going to work - for one thing, the European Union has a single tariff, so he will find he can’t put tariffs on individual EU countries; it’s the EU as a whole”.
“Rather than threatening tariffs, we need to be working together to work out the very legitimate issues about Greenland security - not that China is about to take it over, but that all of us in Nato have Arctic security as a priority,” Ricketts said.
The way to do this is to work together and in the past, I think Keir Starmer and others have been quite effective at working with President Trump privately, not taking him on in public, and I think we need to go back into that routine to get him to see that there are other ways of achieving what he wants without this sort of threatening, blustering language about tariffs.
Updated
Davey urges Starmer to 'stand firm against bully in the White House'
Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has called on Keir Starmer to “stand firm against the bully in the White House” after Donald Trump announced he would impose tariffs on European countries.
Posting on X, Davey said the prime minister’s “US policy lies in tatters”, adding: “Trump is now punishing the UK and Nato allies just for doing the right thing.
“Time for the PM to stand firm against the bully in the White House, and work with European and Commonwealth allies to make him back down from this reckless plan.”
Updated
Trump's tariffs on European countries over Greenland are a 'terrible idea', Badenoch says
Kemi Badenoch has described Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on European countries as a “terrible idea”.
Posting on social media, the Conservative leader said:
President Trump is completely wrong to announce tariffs on the UK over Greenland. People in both UK and US will face higher costs. These tariffs will be yet another burden for businesses across our country. The sovereignty of Greenland should only be decided by the people of Greenland. On this, I agree with Keir Starmer.
Updated
As a reminder, Donald Trump had previously threatened to impose tariffs on countries opposing his plan to take control of Greenland.
Speaking during an event at the White House yesterday, he said: “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security.”
Updated
Donald Trump has said “world peace is at stake” as he unveiled 10% tariffs on European countries opposing US plans to acquire Greenland.
Posting on Truth Social, the US president said:
We have subsidized Denmark, and all of the Countries of the European Union, and others, for many years by not charging them Tariffs, or any other forms of remuneration. Now, after Centuries, it is time for Denmark to give back — World Peace is at stake!
Trump concluded his post by saying the US is “immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them, including maximum protection, over so many decades”.
Trump says eight European countries face 10% tariff for opposing US control of Greenland
Donald Trump has said he will impose 10% tariffs on Nato countries - including the UK, France, and Germany – who have deployed troops to Greenland amid US threats to take over the Arctic island.
In a lengthy Truth Social post, he said “Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown”, adding: “This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet.”
The US president said 10% tariffs will be imposed on all goods the countries export to the United States from 1 February, followed by a 25% rate from 1 June.
“This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland,” he added.
Trump reiterated his warning that “China and Russia want Greenland”, saying “there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it”.
Updated
Donald Trump is using Greenland “as a weapon of mass distraction from the real threats” such as Russia’s war in Ukraine, the former head of Nato has said.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who also served as Denmark’s prime minister from 2001 to 2009, told the Financial Times:
I am actually concerned that the world’s attention is now focused on something that does not represent a threat, neither to Europe nor to the United States — namely Greenland, a friendly ally of the United States — instead of focusing on what should be the focal point right now: namely, how can we force Putin to the negotiation table in Ukraine?
Rasmussen said he has “considered the United States as the natural leader of the free world” since his childhood.
“I’ve even spoken about the US as the world’s policeman,” he added. “Now we see the United States use a language that’s pretty close to the gangsters that they should control in Moscow, Beijing, etc.”
Updated
Summary
If you’re just joining us, here’s a round-up of the day’s main developments:
Thousands gathered all around Denmark and in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, as part of a planned “Hands Off Greenland” action protesting Donald Trump and his threats to take over the island. “We are demonstrating against American statements and ambitions to annex Greenland. We demand respect for the Danish Realm and for Greenland’s right to self-determination,” Camilla Siezing, chair of the Joint Association Inuit, said in a statement.
These protests took place after Donald Trump on Friday threatened to impose tariffs on countries that do not “go along” with his plan to annex Greenland. He later doubled down on those statements by posting on Truth Social an image of himself accompanied with the caption “Mister Tariff” and “The Tariff King”.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan congressional delegation continued to meet with Danish and Greenlandic leaders in Copenhagen, where they maintained their support of both Greenland and Denmark in direct contrast with statements coming from the White House.
With Nato allies troops in Greenland this week, some Greenland residents are now preparing for the worst, either stocking up on supplies or readying themselves to flee quickly.
Updated
Here are some images coming out of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, where demonstrators held a “Hands Off Greenland” rally in protest of Donald Trump and his plan to annex the island.
While thousands gathered and marched in Copenhagen in protest of Donald Trump and his plan to take control of Greenland, other rallies were planned around Denmark in support of the Arctic island.
Here’s a look at where the other demonstrations were scheduled to take place around Denmark today:
Some Greenland residents have told AFP that they are weighing drastic options as Donald Trump continues to push his plans to take control of their home.
Ulrikke Andersen, who lives in the capital of Nuuk, told AFP that if the US invades Greenland, she will flee with her daughter. “Before, I was ready to die for my country but when I had a kid that changed everything,” she said.
Others told AFP that they were planning for the worst case scenario – filling their freezers, stocking up on water and petrol and buying generators.
“I’m thinking about where to hide and what medicines we need to stock,” said 35-year-old student Nuunu Binzer. “But I haven’t done it yet.”
What do people in Greenland think of Trump and his threats?
What do people in Greenland think of Donald Trump and his threats to take over the island? The Guardian’s Miranda Bryant and Lauren Hurrell take a look.
Updated
Reuters estimated that thousands of protesters attended the “Hands Off Greenland” rallies around Denmark on Saturday, chanting “Greenland is not for sale” and waving Greenland’s red and white “Erfalasorput” flag.
“I am very grateful for the huge support we as Greenlanders receive ... we are also sending a message to the world that you all must wake up,” said Julie Rademacher, chair of Uagut, an organization for Greenlanders in Denmark.
She added: “Greenland and the Greenlanders have involuntarily become the front in the fight for democracy and human rights.”
The bipartisan US congressional delegation in Copenhagen held a news conference Saturday to once again reassure Denmark and Greenland of their support, the Associated Press reports.
Delegation leader Chris Coons, a Democratic senator from Delaware, said that the US has respect for Denmark and Nato “for all we’ve done together”.
“I hope that the people of the Kingdom of Denmark do not abandon their faith in the American people,” Coons said.
The delegation’s comments contrasted with the sentiment coming from the White House, with Donald Trump on Friday threatening to impose tariffs on countries that do not support his plan to take over Greenland. Earlier this week, Trump said anything less than Greenland being in US hands would be “unacceptable.”
Here are some more images coming out of the “Hands Off Greenland” demonstration in Copenhagen:
Protest under way in Denmark
Demonstrators have begun gathering in front of City Hall in Copenhagen as part of a series of actions planned throughout Denmark and Greenland in protest of Donald Trump and his plans to take control of Greenland.
The plan in Copenhagen is march to the US embassy in the Danish capital. Other rallies are set to begin later Saturday in Greenland and in other parts of Denmark.
“We are demonstrating against American statements and ambitions to annex Greenland. We demand respect for the Danish Realm and for Greenland’s right to self-determination. Hopefully we can show that there are many of us who support Greenland ,” Camilla Siezing, the chairwoman of the Inuit Association, said in a statement.
Updated
Republican dissent as key figures warn Trump against Greenland pursuit
Donald Trump’s renewed interest in taking control of Greenland has become a subject of pointed dissent among congressional Republicans, with several allies speaking out in recent days against the idea after the president reintensified his interest following the US raid that captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
Congressional Republicans are typically loath to disagree openly with the president, who has repeatedly called for his party’s dissenters to be voted out of office. But amid polling that shows an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose taking control of the island and warnings from Denmark that an invasion would spell the end of Nato, some congressional Republicans have issued forceful warnings against pursuing the issue.
“The thought of the United States taking the position that we would take Greenland, an independent territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, is absurd,” North Carolina senator Thom Tillis said in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday. “Somebody needs to tell the president that the people of Greenland, up until these current times, were actually very, very pro-American and very, very pro American presence.”
More here:
In his latest posts on Truth Social, Donald Trump appeared to double down on his threats to impose tariffs on countries that do not “go along” with his plan to annex Greenland.
Late Friday, the president posted a black-and-white photograph of himself leaning over his desk in the Oval Office, his face serious and his hands in fist. The photo was accompanied with the text: “Mister Tariff”.
He posted a duplicate of that same photo again in another post with the text: “The Tariff King”.
During a wide-ranging 45-minute nearly uninterrupted address in the White House East Room on Friday, Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on countries that do not “go along” with his plans to annex Greenland.
Though his comments on the matter were brief, it was the second time this week the president used the threat of tariffs – he had previously said that he would impose a 25% tax on imports to the US from countries that do business with Iran amid a brutal crackdown by its regime that has left thousands dead and imprisoned tens of thousands.
Watch here:
European leaders spent the past year treading carefully around Donald Trump as he levied tariffs, pushed Nato countries to increase their defence spending to 5% of GDP and threatened to pull US support from Ukraine.
But Trump’s plans to seize control of Greenland “may force Europe to draw a line in the snow”, writes The Guardian’s Andrew Roth and Jennifer Rankin.
“Everything else has been subject to negotiation … but the Greenland situation is different because it comes to the question of sovereignty, and it comes to the question of whether Europe is capable of standing up for itself in terms of its own territory, its own rights,” said Kristine Berzina, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund for US defence and transatlantic security.
Read more here:
Protests planned in Denmark, Greenland against Trump's calls for annexation
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of today’s events.
A series of demonstrations have been scheduled to take place across Denmark and Greenland today against Donald Trump and his plans to control Greenland.
The aim of Saturday’s protests, which are set to unfold as a US delegation of bipartisan lawmakers meet with Danish and Greenlandic officials in Copenhagen, “is to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland’s democracy and fundamental human rights”, Uagut, an organisation of Greenlanders in Denmark, posted on its website.
Jeff Landry, Trump’s special envoy to Greenland, said on Friday that a deal for Washington to take over the island “should and will be made” during this visit and that the president “is serious” about acquiring the largely autonomous territory, which is part of the Danish kingdom.
“In these times, it is important that we show a united front and cooperate broadly. We demand respect for Greenland’s right to self-determination and respect for the people of Greenland. This is not only a fight for Greenland, but also for the rest of the world, ” said Poul Johannesen of the citizens’ initiative, Hands Off Kalaallit Nunaat.
Trump on Friday threatened to impose tariffs against those who oppose his plans to annex the largely autonomous territory, which is part of the Danish kingdom. Earlier in the week, a number of Nato allies – France, Germany, the UK, Norway and Sweden among some – deployed troops to the Arctic island, with the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, saying that Greenland’s defence is a “common concern” for the whole of Nato.
Stay tuned for updates.
