Eight European nations issue joint statement of opposing American control over Greenland
發佈日期: 2026-01-19 01:10
TVB News
The eight European countries targetted by US President Donald Trump for a 10% tariff for opposing American control of Greenland have blasted the move.
They warned the American leader's threats "undermine transatlantic relations."
Thousands of Greenlanders earlier marched in protest against Trump.
Thousands of Greenlanders marched across snow and ice to take a stand against US President Donald Trump.
This, as Trump announced he will charge a 10% import tax starting in February on goods from eight European countries over their opposition to US control of Greenland.
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland would face the tariff.
The protesters held signs of protest, waved their national flag and chanted "Greenland is not for sale" in support of their own self-governance in the face of increasing threats of an American takeover.
A protestor said: "He's (Trump) just arrogant and a very big bully. He does not care of anything. His way of saying things are just so specific and so disrespectful and hateful that it's just hurting everybody around him."
Tillie Martinussen, a former member of the Greenland parliament, said: "Well, I mean, a tariff of 25% is nothing against the free world, is it? I think that's the way you have to look at it. This is a fight for freedom, it's for NATO, it is for what everything the Western Hemisphere has been fighting for since World War II."
Trump has long said he thinks the US should own the strategically located and mineral-rich island, which is a self-governing territory of Denmark.
The Sentiments were echoed by White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller in an interview on Fox News's Channel's Hannity.
Miller said: "Greenland is essential for America's national security. The new domain of international competition is going to be polar competition. That is where more and more resources are being spent by our nation's adversaries and rivals, is the ability to control movement, navigation, lanes of travel in the polar and arctic regions."
Still, a Danish military official said he does not believe the US will attack Greenland to take it by force.
The Joint Arctic Commander leader Major General Soren Larsen said: "I will not go into the political part but I will say that I would never expect a NATO country to attack another NATO country. For me it's not about signalling; it is actually about training military units, working together with allies."
Trump's stance on Greenland prompted criticism from a bipartisan American Congressional delegation who sought to reassure Denmark and Greenland the US remains an ally despite the Trump tariff threats.
Senator Chris Coons said, "There is almost no better ally to the United States than Denmark. If we do things that cause Danes to question whether we can be counted on as a NATO ally, why would any other country seek to be our ally or believe in our representations?"
Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska said, "We cannot, we cannot allow this to become a partisan matter. We just simply cannot."
