European Union (EU) officials appear to favour negotiations rather than immediate retaliation following former President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs if the US cannot acquire Greenland.
The EU is exploring diplomatic options while keeping potential trade responses on the table.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reportedly told Trump during a phone call that imposing tariffs on NATO allies would be inappropriate. EU leaders are scheduled to meet in the coming days to coordinate a response.
While officials are emphasising dialogue, diplomats indicate that a list of tariffs prepared during the previous US trade war could be considered if negotiations fail.
Macron to EU Leaders on Retaliatory Measures
The European Union was weighing retaliatory tariffs on American goods and even deploying its most serious economic sanctions against the US, as European leaders lined up to criticise Donald Trump’s threat to levy new taxes on imports from eight nations that oppose his attempt to annex Greenland, which one minister called “blackmail”.
“Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” the leaders of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland said in a joint statement. “We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.”
Also Read: EU Warns United States Military Takeover of Greenland Would Mean End of NATO
The union’s top diplomats met for crisis talks on Sunday and discussed reviving a plan to levy tariffs on €93bn of US goods, which was suspended after last summer’s trade deal with Trump.
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, called on fellow leaders to activate the European Union’s powerful anti-coercion instrument – commonly known as the “big bazooka” – if Trump went ahead with his tariff threats, French media reported, citing his team.
After the talks broke up, the head of the European Council, António Costa, announced an emergency EU summit, which is likely to take place on Thursday. The European Union, he said, showed “readiness to defend ourselves against any form of coercion”.
Also Read: European Leaders Fight Back After Trumps Move to Announce Tariffs
Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said Trump’s tariffs would be a mistake, and the Dutch foreign minister, David van Weel, described the US president’s threats to allies as “blackmail”, as reaction from European leaders continued to pile up.
Leaders Fight Back After Trump’s Move to Announce Tariffs
European leaders, led by United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, have responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement on NATO allies supporting Denmark’s claim of Greenland.
In a statement on his Truth Social platform on January 17, 2026, President Donald Trump announced that he was escalating tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland.
The tariffs, set to begin at 10% on February 1 and rise to 25% on June 1, target allies opposing the U.S. acquisition of Greenland.
The European leaders have maintained that the island’s status is a matter for Denmark and Greenland and criticised the use of tariffs against allies pursuing collective security.
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