Transatlantic tensions over Greenland have ratcheted up between america and European nations as President Donald Trump doubles down on his ambitions to accumulate the self-governing island, which is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
In a social media publish following a cellphone name with NATO Secretary-Normal Mark Rutte on Tuesday, Trump stated there’s “no going again” on Washington’s plans. Trump added that he would meet “the varied events” in Davos, Switzerland, throughout this week’s annual summit of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Final weekend, Trump threatened to extend commerce tariffs for European international locations which oppose his try to accumulate Greenland. Because the tariff threats, the European Union has been considering its response, with some members calling for the implementation of the bloc’s never-before-used “trade bazooka” option of retaliatory tariffs and restrictions.
Given Europe’s decades-long dependence on Washington, which has solely deepened lately, may the EU take motion in opposition to the US, and will that threat a severe transatlantic rift?
What has Trump stated about Greenland this week?
Trump made a collection of posts on his Reality Social platform on Tuesday, reiterating his ambition to accumulate Greenland and stating that he would meet European leaders in Davos to debate the problem.
In a single publish, Trump wrote that he had a “superb phone name” with Rutte about Greenland. “I agreed to a gathering of the varied events in Davos, Switzerland. As I expressed to everybody, very plainly, Greenland is crucial for Nationwide and World Safety. There could be no going again – On that, everybody agrees!” he added.
In a separate publish, Trump shared a screenshot exhibiting messages, presumably from Rutte, by which he wrote, “I’m dedicated to discovering a manner ahead on Greenland.”
In one other publish, he shared screenshots of messages from French President Emmanuel Macron, who wrote, “I don’t perceive what you might be doing in Greenland.” Within the messages, Macron additionally provided to arrange a Group of Seven assembly in Paris on Thursday.
Trump additionally posted mockup photos created utilizing synthetic intelligence (AI) instruments on Tuesday, exhibiting himself holding the US flag in Greenland with an indication stating “US territory”. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are depicted within the picture, standing behind him.
One other picture Trump shared exhibits him in an Oval Workplace assembly with European leaders. It features a map on an easel exhibiting the US flag spanning Canada, Greenland and Venezuela.
Why does Trump need Greenland?
The sparsely populated Arctic island of 56,000 folks – principally Indigenous Inuit – is geographically in North America however politically a part of Denmark, making it a part of Europe. Greenland withdrew from the European Group (EC/EU) in 1985 after it gained dwelling rule, however maintains a particular affiliation with the EU as an Abroad Nation and Territory (OCT), which grants restricted inside market entry and EU citizenship to Greenland’s residents by Denmark.
Trump has lengthy coveted Greenland due to its strategic location and plentiful mineral deposits, together with extremely sought-after rare-earth metals required for the manufacture of a variety of expertise from smartphones to fighter planes. The island has due to this fact drawn rising curiosity from main powers as local weather change opens up new transport lanes within the Arctic.
At the moment, Greenland’s economic system depends primarily on fishing; locals oppose large-scale mining, and there’s no oil or gasoline extraction.
The island’s geographical place between the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans gives the shortest air and sea routes between North America and Europe, making it essential for US army operations and early-warning techniques, particularly across the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom hole, in keeping with the Trump administration.
What commerce tariffs is Trump threatening?
On January 17, Trump stated, beginning February 1, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland could be charged a ten p.c tariff on their exports to the US.
On June 1, the tariff could be elevated to 25 p.c, he stated. “This Tariff shall be due and payable till such time as a Deal is reached for the Full and Whole buy of Greenland,” Trump wrote on Reality Social.
A day after Trump posted this menace to social media, the 27 EU members convened for an emergency assembly.
In a joint statement, the eight international locations focused by Trump with new tariffs stated they “stand in full solidarity” with Denmark and the folks of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
“Constructing on the method begun final week, we stand prepared to interact in a dialogue based mostly on the ideas of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind,” the assertion stated.
“Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and threat a harmful downward spiral. We are going to proceed to face united and coordinated in our response. We’re dedicated to upholding our sovereignty.”
What motion may Europe take in opposition to Trump over Greenland?
European leaders are considering a number of responses to Trump’s menace, starting from diplomacy to retaliatory tariffs to the acute, last-ditch “commerce bazooka” – the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) – which may goal particular items and providers the US has a commerce surplus in with the EU.
Nevertheless, the never-before-used ACI, which was adopted by the EU in 2023 following restrictions positioned on Lithuanian exports by China, would seemingly take months to implement. It requires the settlement of a minimal of 15 EU international locations, representing no less than 65 p.c of the bloc’s inhabitants. It additionally requires a months-long investigation course of.
How a lot does Europe depend upon the US?
Europe has a rising dependence on Washington in varied sectors.
Defence
Lately, Europe has develop into more and more depending on the US for army and intelligence help, particularly for the reason that begin of Russia’s battle in Ukraine in February 2022.
Even earlier than that, the US was offering Ukraine with important intelligence help, which has not been detailed publicly. Nevertheless, reviews and officers spotlight two essential roles it has performed – first, satellite tv for pc and alerts intelligence assist Ukraine anticipate and put together for Russian assaults, and second, it helps find enemy troops and bases so Ukrainians can goal them with missiles, together with long-range techniques which might attain inside Russian territory.
European NATO states acquired 64 p.c of their arms imports from the US between 2020 and 2024, up from 52 p.c throughout 2015-19, in keeping with a report by the Stockholm Worldwide Peace Analysis Institute (SIPRI) printed in March 2025.
The US contributed about 16 p.c of NATO’s widespread budgets, the joint largest contribution, matched solely by Germany’s, in keeping with a NATO breakdown printed final yr.
“Militarily, almost half of Europe’s latest procurement comes from the US, particularly in crucial spine capabilities comparable to fight plane, missiles, air defence, software-driven techniques and sustainment,” Christine Nissen, chief analyst on the Copenhagen-based Suppose Tank Europa, advised Al Jazeera.
“These dependencies are deeply locked in by platforms, upgrades, spare components, information and interoperability.”
Financial system
Europe can also be extremely depending on the US for the availability of expertise providers and financial infrastructure, comparable to cloud providers, semiconductors, digital platforms, satellite tv for pc providers, cybersecurity, vitality applied sciences and components of the monetary system, Nissen stated.
“In lots of of those domains, Europe depends on US companies, requirements and regulatory attain, which amplifies Washington’s leverage in a confrontation.”
Traders in European international locations maintain greater than $10 trillion of US Treasury bonds.
Bonds are investments by which buyers lend cash to a authorities or an organization for a set time in trade for normal curiosity funds and the unique capital again at maturity to whoever is holding the bond on the time. Bonds could be purchased and offered on monetary markets, so the issuer of the bond might finally pay again a distinct investor from the one who first purchased it.
Bonds normally supply decrease returns than inventory market shares however are seen as low-risk, particularly authorities bonds.
US Treasury bonds are significantly fashionable as they’re considered as “safe-haven” property. If US-Europe relations flip hostile, nevertheless, that secure haven would develop into extremely politicised as there may very well be a perceived hazard that the US may not repay the preliminary capital introduced to purchase the bonds.
Moreover, if there’s a rift in transatlantic relations, buyers may panic and begin promoting off US Treasury bonds en masse. When plenty of folks promote on the identical time, the value of bonds drops. This might imply that the worth of the bonds EU members personal would decline, and they might lose cash on their big pile of US bonds.
Whereas this may be unhealthy for the US economically, it will additionally imply that European holders of the bonds would now not be capable to totally depend on this stash of “secure” property and might need issue discovering different locations large and steady sufficient to maneuver that cash to.
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“The [economic] dependency is mutual however uneven. For the US, Europe is especially a significant market and industrial companion, a industrial dependence. For Europe, the reliance is operational, technological and security-critical,” Nissen stated.
“That asymmetry provides Washington sturdy structural affect, no matter who occupies the White Home.”
Vitality
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Europe has imposed sanctions on Russian oil and has progressively lowered its vitality dependence on Russia.
Europe’s imports of Russian gasoline fell by 75 p.c between 2021 and 2025, in keeping with a report by the US-based Institute for Vitality Economics and Monetary Evaluation (IEEFA), printed on Monday.
As an alternative, Europe elevated vitality imports from the US, particularly liquefied pure gasoline (LNG).
Europe’s imports of US LNG jumped from 21 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2021 to 81bcm in 2025 – nearly a fourfold improve. “Because of this EU international locations sourced 57 p.c of their LNG imports from the US in 2025,” the IEEFA report states.
The report additionally states that if the EU takes all of the US LNG it has signed up for, and doesn’t minimize its gasoline use, by 2030, the US may very well be supplying nearly 75 to 80 p.c of its imports.
What occurs if Europe-US relations break down?
Europe has rather a lot to lose.
“A severe rupture with the US would seemingly scale back Europe’s entry to crucial army help, expertise, intelligence, vitality flows and components of the monetary and digital ecosystem,” Nissen stated.
That dependence is why Europe has normally tried laborious thus far to not conflict with the US, she stated.
“Within the brief time period, Europe can not meaningfully decouple with out actual functionality and financial prices,” Nissen stated.
Subsequently, she added, Europe is unlikely to abruptly break from the US, however quite progressively shift away from it by constructing new buying and selling partnerships and creating its manufacturing capabilities for important items and providers.
“Over the previous weeks, Europe has began to maneuver extra explicitly towards diversification as a strategic hedge: decreasing single-supplier publicity, widening partnerships and strengthening inside resilience,” Nissen stated.
“On the identical time, there’s a a lot stronger political concentrate on constructing European capabilities – in defence manufacturing, crucial applied sciences, vitality infrastructure and industrial capability. The logic just isn’t decoupling from the US, however decreasing vulnerability and rising European room for manoeuvre over time.”
