The US President Donald Trump has reported that the United States will impose tariffs on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland because of Greenland.
He wrote about this on his social network Thuth Social.
According to Trump, the US will impose a 10% tariff on all goods coming from these countries starting February 1, 2026. He said the tariff will increase to 25% starting June 1, 2026. The restrictions will remain in place until an agreement is reached on the “full and absolute purchase of Greenland”.
Trump said that for many years the United States has financially supported Denmark, EU countries and other partners without imposing tariffs or other forms of compensation. He said now it is time for Denmark to "pay back".
He also stated that China and Russia are interested in Greenland, and that Denmark is allegedly unable to guarantee the islandʼs security. Trump claims that Greenland currently has only "two dog teams to protect the territory", so only the United States can secure the island.
Separately, Trump said that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland had gone to Greenland “for an unknown purpose”. He called it a dangerous situation for global security.
Trump also reiterated that the United States has been trying to buy Greenland for over 150 years, but Denmark has always refused. He said the need to buy the island has now increased due to the development of modern weapons and security systems, including the Golden Dome project, which he said is spending hundreds of billions of dollars.
In the end, he emphasized that the United States is open to negotiations with Denmark and other countries affected by his statement.
Greenland and the USA
In December 2024, Donald Trump declared that “possession and control of the world’s largest island, Greenland, is an absolute necessity” for US national security. He had said he was interested in buying the island during his first term as president. He has since repeated his desire to acquire the island.
In response, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called on the US president to "stop the threats". Denmark decided to significantly increase defense spending on the island and also changed the royal coat of arms to more prominently include the symbols of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Polls show that almost 85% of Greenlanders are against its secession from the Kingdom of Denmark and joining the United States. In November, the Danish Foreign Ministry said it had launched a “night watch” to monitor Donald Trump’s statements and actions while Copenhagen slept.
Reuters reported on January 8 that the Trump administration was discussing the possibility of paying Greenlanders between $10 000 and $100 000 to join the United States. On January 13, Republican Congressman Randy Fine introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives that would annex Greenland and make it the 51st state of the US.
The US President Donald Trump said on January 16 that he could impose trade tariffs against countries that do not agree to the idea of American control over Greenland. Before that, on January 15, French and German military personnel traveled to Greenland to participate in exercises organized by Denmark together with other EU partners.
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