The day so far
Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on countries that don’t support his plan to control Greenland. Speaking at a White House event about the tariffs he slapped on pharmaceutical imports from the EU as part of his efforts to lower drug prices in the US, Trump added: “I may do that for Greenland too. I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security.”
It came as Trump’s special envoy to Greenland said a deal for Washington to take over the island “should and will be made”. Jeff Landry added that he planned to visit Greenland in March and that the US president “is serious” about acquiring the largely autonomous territory, which is part of the Danish kingdom.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of 11 members of the US House and Senate – including Republican senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski and Democratic senator Chris Coons – travelled to Copenhagen to meet the leaders of Denmark and Greenland, Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen, in a show of solidarity against Trump’s threats of military intervention. Murkowski told a press conference the purpose of the visit was to send a clear message from the Congress that “Greenland needs to be viewed as our ally, not as an asset.”
Thousands of people have signed a petition expressing anger after Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland reportedly joked that the Nordic country should become the 52nd US state. “We heard that former Rep Billy Long, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland, joked to members on the floor last night that Iceland will be the 52nd state and he’ll be governor,” Politico wrote in its morning newsletter. In a statement to the Guardian, Iceland’s foreign ministry said it had contacted the US embassy for clarification. “The ministry for foreign affairs contacted the US embassy in Iceland to verify the veracity of the alleged comments,” it said.
Updated
Trump threatens tariff on 'countries that don't go along with Greenland'
Speaking at the White House event, Donald Trump just threatened to impose tariffs on countries that don’t support his plan to control Greenland.
Referring to the tariffs he slapped on pharmaceutical imports from the EU as part of his efforts to lower drug prices in the US, Trump added:
I may do that for Greenland too. 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 is hosting a roundtable discussion on rural healthcare at the White House, due to begin shortly. He often takes questions from media at these events and Greenland may well come up. I’ll bring you the latest here.
That’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, but Lucy Campbell is here to keep you up to date for the rest of the day.
'Are there real, pressing threats to security of Greenland from China and Russia? No, not today,' US senator says as he hopes for 'lowering temperature' of talks about territory
Democratic senator Chris Coons says the visit was mostly to listen to Denmark and Greenland’s comments, and relay them back to the US.
He says:
“Are there real, pressing threats to the security of Greenland from China and Russia? No, not today.
Are there real opportunities for us to partner through Nato to contribute to Arctic security? Yes, and if we ask respectfully and plan together, we can achieve that goal.
Are there opportunities to develop sustainably the resources of Greenland, if that’s of interest to American companies? Yes.
And so there’s a lot of rhetoric, but there’s not a lot of reality in the current discussion in Washington. And part of the point of this trip is to have a bipartisan group of members of Congress listen respectfully to our friends, our trusted allies and partners here in Denmark and from Greenland, and to go back to the United States and share those perspectives so that we can lower the temperature and have a more constructive dialogue about the best path forward.”
And that concludes the press conference.
Greenland needs to be viewed as ally, not asset, Republican US senator Murkowski says
Republican senator Murkowski says the purpose of the visit was to send a clear message from the Congress that “Greenland needs to be viewed as our ally, not as an asset.”
She says:
“I think it is important to underscore that when you ask the American people whether or not they think it is a good idea for the United States to acquire Greenland, the vast majority, some 75% will say we do not think that that is a good idea. This senator from Alaska does not think it is a good idea.”
She says the US delegation “heard about the concerns and the fears directly from the people of Greenland,” and on “more broadly what this means, not just to to Denmark to Greenland, but to the Nato alliance.”
Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, a Greenlandic politician in the Danish parliament, highlights “the pressure that people are feeling back home in Greenland,” as she thanks the US delegation for their visit.
Separately, Pipaluk Lynge, a Greenlandic MP, also says that it was important to attend this meeting to have an open dialogue with US lawmakers, similarly stressing Greenland’s position as an ally in Nato.
US Democratic senator Chris Coons opens the press conference as he says the 10-member bipartisan bicameral delegation from the US wanted to highlight the value of the US-Danish alliance, and to “express our gratitude for the sacrifice of Danes, who served and fought and died alongside Americans when we were attacked 25 years ago.”
“We spoke about the value of Nato and the commitment to respecting the core principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and self determination, and we spoke with clarity about the importance that the people of Greenland make their decisions about their future.”
Conservative senator Lisa Murkowski joins in with similar words, stressing “a strong and a continuing relationship” between the countries “over decades.”
She talks about “so constructive, important dialogue that is ongoing now and will move forward.”
We are expecting to hear from the US delegation visiting Copenhagen again pretty soon, as they are just wrapping their meeting with parliamentary colleagues from Denmark and Greenland.
I will bring you the key lines from them here.
Anger in Iceland over incoming US ambassador’s ‘52nd state’ joke
Separately, thousands of people have signed a petition expressing anger after Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland reportedly joked that the Nordic country should become the 52nd US state.
On Wednesday, hours before top officials from Greenland and Denmark were to meet with the US in the hope of warding off Trump’s threats to seize the Arctic island, the news outlet Politico said it had heard of musings regarding another Nordic island.
“We heard that former Rep Billy Long, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland, joked to members on the floor last night that Iceland will be the 52nd state and he’ll be governor,” Politico wrote in its morning newsletter.
The reaction in Reykjavík was swift. In a statement to the Guardian, Iceland’s foreign ministry said it had contacted the US embassy for clarification. “The ministry for foreign affairs contacted the US embassy in Iceland to verify the veracity of the alleged comments,” it said.
In a petition calling on Iceland’s foreign minister, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, to reject Long as ambassador to the country, critics said:
“These words, spoken by Billy Long, whom Donald Trump has nominated as ambassador to Iceland, may have been said in jest. Still, they are offensive to Iceland and the Icelandic people, who have had to fight for their freedom and have always been a friend to the United States,” the petition read.
Within hours of its launch, more than 3,200 people had signed the petition, backing the call for the US to “nominate another person who shows greater respect for Iceland and the Icelandic people”.
On Wednesday Long reportedly apologised for the remarks in an interview with Arctic Today, a news website that covers the region. The outlet quoted him as saying the comments had been made in jest as others were joking about Jeff Landry, Trump’s US special envoy to Greenland.
“There was nothing serious about that, I was with some people, who I hadn’t met for three years, and they were kidding about Jeff Landry being governor of Greenland and they started joking about me and if anyone took offence to it, then I apologise,” the publication quoted Long as saying.
Though Long said he could understand why the comments would have set off a reaction, he was adamant they were a joke and should not be taken seriously.
US senators are now arriving for their meeting with Danish and Greenlandic colleagues at the Danish parliament.
Democratic senator Peter Welch says the US delegation is in Denmark “to reassert our appreciation for the role Denmark plays in our national security,” as he calls for “a stronger, not a weaker, Nato.”
“So this is just an expression by a bipartisan group of members of Congress that we appreciate Denmark, we need Denmark, and we support a continuation of our cooperative relationship,” he says.
Meloni wants Nato to develop 'coordinated presence' in Arctic to prevent 'interference'
We have a bit more on that Italian Arctic strategy I mentioned earlier (12:35), with the country’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni urging Nato to develop “a coordinated presence” in the Arctic region to prevent tensions and respond to “interference by other actors.”
Reuters reported that in a letter read during the presentation of an Italian government paper on the Arctic, Meloni said the region was becoming increasingly important due to the development of new sea routes and its huge “energy and mineral resources”.
The Italian policy document pointed to Russia’s renewed focus on the Arctic, which included a buildup of its military presence there. It also flagged China’s attempt to raise its Arctic profile as a self-declared “near-Arctic state,” including growing interest in shipping along the Northern Sea Route and closer ties with Moscow that extend to military matters.
'Deal should and will be made' on Greenland, US envoy says, as he plans to visit in March
US special envoy to Greenland Jeff Landry told Fox News that he believed a deal could be reached on the territory, with president Donald Trump “serious” about his plans to control Greenland.
“I do believe that there’s a deal that should and will be made once this plays out,” he said.
“I think he’s laid the markers down. He’s told Denmark what he’s looking for, and now it’s a matter of having secretary Rubio and vice-president JD Vance make a deal.”
Landry also said he was planning to visit the Danish semiautonomous territory in March.
Ukraine's security guarantees, prosperity deal with US could be signed in Davos, Zelenskyy says
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a news conference in Kyiv that he hoped to sign a deal on the US security guarantees and a prosperity package on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, starting news week.
A Ukrainian delegation is on its way to the US for further talks, he said.
Zelenskyy also added that he hoped to get more clarity from the US on the Russian position on peace talks about ending the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Italian defence minister dismisses calls to put European troops in Greenland
Meanwhile, Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto does not seem to be convinced about the merits of European military deployments to Greenland.
Speaking to journalists, he wondered “what a hundred, two hundred, or three hundred soldiers of any nationality could do” in Greenland. “It sounds like the beginning of a joke.”
In comments quoted by the Italian news agency ANSA, he said:
“It’s not a competition to see who sends the military around the world.”
He indicated Italy would not send its troops to the territory, and suggested Nato should play a role coordinating different countries’ thinking on the issue.
But a new Italian government paper on the security of the Arctic, expected to be presented later today, will warn that the region has become a threat of intensifying strategic rivalry, with Russian and US interest, Reuters said.
Trump's Greenland comments act as distraction from his woes in US, senator says
US Democratic senator Shaheen also has this theory on why Trump turned his attention to Greenland:
“A part of me is not sure how much of this is a distraction, to try and take the attention of the American people away from some very real issues that we have in the United States right now.
The cost of living is a real concern for Americans [and] Donald Trump got elected saying he was going to address the cost of living.
He was going to address domestic issues, he was going to end forever wars, and he’s not done any of that, so people are frustrated with him.
Also, as you may have followed the Epstein files, the paedophile in the US, it’s been quite an issue, particularly in the Republican Party and among Donald Trump’s followers.
And you know, Trump is a master of having a problem over here and saying, ‘Oh no, don’t pay attention to this problem. Look over here at this shiny object that I want people to focus on’.
And so I don’t know, who knows what [he thinks], it’s hard to know what Donald Trump’s real motivation is, but I do think there is some of that going on in terms of the focus on Greenland.”
Trump watches US polls and Americans oppose use of force in Greenland, senator says
Shaheen then strikes a slightly more optimistic tone as she says:
“I believe saner heads will prevail.
I believe that because we have institutions that are acting in the United States, on both sides of the aisle in Congress, there is overwhelming support for our relationship for Nato and among the American people.
I don’t know if you all saw the recent poll that showed that 86% of Americans said they would oppose the use of military force in Greenland. And while the President doesn’t listen much to Democrats in Congress, he does watch the polls in the United States.”
She says that is particularly important given it’s an election year in the US, with the poll “acting as a disincentive for members of Congress” to back Trump on Greenland.
“The conventional wisdom – knock on wood as a Democrat – is that Congress is going to flip to Democratic hands, and that that will have a check on what the President does,” she says.
But she more broadly warns against “the idea of a world where we have no alliances, where we have abrogated the international world order” as she says it would be “not safe.”
“It’s not safe for Americans. It’s not safe for Danes and the only people who benefit from that sort of world are the autocrats in Moscow and Beijing and other autocrats around the world.”
Trump's rhetoric on Greenland does 'real damage' to alliances, US national security and benefits Russia's Putin, US senator says
Senator Shaheen goes further as she says that “just the suggestion that the US would take Greenland by force does real damage, not just to the relationship with Greenland with Denmark, but to America’s own national security.”
She adds Trump’s comments “erode decades of hard won confidence among allies, and it weakens the sense of security that comes with it, and that rhetoric plays right into the hands of our greatest adversaries, Russia and China.”
“Vladimir Putin would welcome any move that fractures Nato or diverts attention and resources away from Ukraine,” she says.
She adds:
“If we’re serious about limiting Russia’s influence in the Arctic and beyond, the most effective way to do that is by defeating Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, and that’s precisely why the current debate over Greenland makes so little sense.”
She adds that when she met with the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, this morning, they noted that “if the United States wants to do certain things in Greenland, whether it’s build more military bases, develop the critical minerals that are there, all we have to do is partner with you.”
'Millions of Americans deeply concerned' about Trump's rhetoric on Greenland, senior Democrat senator says
US senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior Democratic member of the US delegation meeting with Danish and Greenlandic officials today, is speaking at the Copenhagen University now.
Shaheen, who sits on the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations stresses:
“All of the senators who are here are strongly supportive of the Danish-American relationship and the Nato alliance.”
She adds:
“I’m here today because millions of Americans are deeply concerned about the recent rhetoric of the United States taking over Greenland, either buying it or using military force.
And I think that that rhetoric doesn’t just undermine our relationship both with Denmark and with Greenland, but also with other Nato countries and with Europe; it undermines Nato at a time when our adversaries seek to benefit from division.”
She then repeatedly praises US-Danish relations and links through history.
France warns any US Greenland move could endanger trade relationship with EU
France has warned the US treasury secretary Scott Bessent that taking Greenland would be “crossing the line” and could endanger the trade relationship with the EU.
In an interview with the FT (£), the country’s finance minister Roland Lescure was asked if the EU would hit back with retaliatory trade sanctions if Donald Trump were to invade Greenland.
He said:
“Obviously, if that happened we would be in a totally new world for sure, and we would have to adapt accordingly.”
The EU using all its diplomatic powers to try and persuade Trump of the dangers of his ambition on Greenland, with Lescure underlining the importance of remaining in dialogue with the US despite their many differences including tariffs on steel and clashes on tech regulation,
“When we disagree, it’s always better to stay engaged, and that’s what we are doing. The dialogue has to keep on going as long as lines that shouldn’t be crossed are not crossed,” he said, noting the US and France had been close allies for 250 years.
The minister told the FT that Bessent, who he met on Monday in Washington, told him that the US “do not like fines”, a reference to the recent €120m fine on Elon Musk’s X.
“I told him that we would apply European laws to any companies that do business in Europe,” he said.
He described the relationship between the US and Europe as a “paradox”, sometimes acting as an ally and sometimes an adversary.
Russia says Greenland is Danish as it laments 'extraordinary' clash over territory
Meanwhile, Denmark has received somewhat unexpected backing from Russia, as the Kremlin said that it considers Greenland to be Danish territory and added that the security situation surrounding the island was “extraordinary” from the perspective of international law, Reuters reported.
The agency noted that Moscow said earlier this week that it was unacceptable for the west to keep claiming that Russia and China threatened Greenland, and said that the crisis over the territory showed the double standards of western powers which claimed moral superiority.
Earlier today, however, Russia’s Kirill Dmitriev – Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation – joked about Greenland becoming the 51st state of the US.
Updated
Bulgaria faces snap election after leading parties refuse mandate to form government
Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s president Rumen Radev said the country will hold a snap election after leading parties refused a mandate to form a government, Reuters reported.
The latest development comes a month on from the collapse of the previous government amid public frustration with economic policies and perceived failure to tackle corruption, and just two weeks after Bulgaria joined the eurozone.
Lithuania blames Russian military intelligence for 2024 attempted arson attack
The Lithuanian authorities just announced that Russia’s military intelligence GRU was responsible for an attempted arson attack in 2024 on a plant that supplies radio wave scanners to Ukraine’s army, Reuters reported.
Six nationals of Spain, Colombia, Cuba, Russia and Belarus have been charged over the attempted attack, with investigators still looking for three more people, believed to be in Russia.
The prosecutors believe that the group also attempted arson attacks in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania.
“The crimes were coordinated, and orders were issued to the executors by a group of people living in Russia, who are connected with Russia’s GRU,” deputy chief Saulius Briginas of Lithuania’s criminal police told reporters.
Morning opening: Greenland working group off to rocky start
After meeting with the US vice-president JD Vance and state secretary Marco Rubio on Wednesday, the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers announced a new diplomatic channel to discuss their “fundamental” disagreements over Greenland: namely, a working group with the US.
Well, it turns out the White House does not see it exactly in the same way.
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, claimed last night that the working group was actually established for the purpose of, erm, “technical talks on the acquisition of Greenland,” prompting an swift denial from Denmark’s foreign minister.
Responding to Danish broadcaster TV2, Lars Løkke Rasmussen reiterated Denmark’s red lines on territory, and hinted that if the US comes to the table with that mindset, it will be “a very, very short series of meetings.”
Oh, well. Off to a great start.
In the meantime, a group of US parliamentarians is visiting Copenhagen today for talks with senior Danish and Greenlandic officials, including Rasmussen.
As they come to the Folketing for their meetings, the US delegation will no doubt notice a Greenlandic flag flying above the building. It’s probably safe to say that they should expect Leavitt’s comments to come up as a topic for discussion.
I will bring you the latest on Greenland here, but also on Ukraine and other news across the continent.
It’s Friday, 16 January 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
