Donald Trump has repeated his demand for control of Greenland, linking the threats to his Nobel Peace Prize snub. Meanwhile, Sky News has learned he conceded to Keir Starmer he may have been misinformed about Europe’s move to deploy troops on the territory. Follow the latest.
Monday 19 January 2026 21:43, UK
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Berlin does not want an escalatory trade war with the US, warning that a sudden hike in duties would hurt both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Merz said that after a year of having Trump back in the White House, he noted that the US president tends to refrain from imposing tariffs after direct talks and negotiations.
But he also warned that Europe is “in a position to respond” and that EU leaders would discuss this in Brussels on Thursday.
Beijing has warned the US to stop using the “so-called China threat” as a pretext for its military actions abroad.
Donald Trump says the US needs to “own” Greenland to prevent Russia and China from doing so, claiming this is an issue of US and global security.
Asked to address the matter in Beijing today, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said: “China has stated its position on multiple occasions on Greenland.
“The international law underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter is the foundation of the current international order and must be upheld.
“We urge the US to stop using the so-called ‘China threat’ as a pretext for itself to seek selfish gains.”
Keir Starmer held calls with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this evening, Downing Street says.
A spokesperson for the PM says he reiterated his position that the future of Greenland “belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone” during the calls.
“He said that it was in everybody’s interests to go further to deliver on Arctic security and that the UK stands ready to contribute fully alongside our allies through NATO.
“He was clear as well that the use of tariffs against allies for pursuing collective security is completely wrong.”
By James Sillars, business and economics reporter
It’s a sea of red on financial market boards.
Stock markets across Europe are suffering as Donald Trump’s tariff threats against his NATO allies over Greenland are digested.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow as it looked like the worst of the trade war was behind us.
The FTSE 100 saw a sell-off, but it was tempered by shares soaring in the insurer Beazley following a takeover offer by a Swiss rival.
More firms on the continent are exposed to trade in goods with the US. UK trade with the US is led by services.
The top flight index in London closed the day down 0.4% – or 40 points – at 10,195.
Precious metal miners benefited as gold – a safe haven for investors in troubled times – hit a new record high, along with silver.
The DAX in Germany, Europe’s manufacturing powerhouse, was 1.3% lower in late trading while the CAC in Paris was on track for a fall of almost 2%.
US financial markets were closed for a public holiday, but futures indicate similar falls to those across the Channel will be seen at the open in New York tomorrow.
More widely, the dollar was down by almost half of 1% vs the pound and oil prices recovered from early losses. A barrel of Brent crude was trading at $64 a barrel.
That’s up by $4 on the start of the year – another that looks set to be dominated by the whims of Donald Trump.
Mounting tensions between Europe and the US moved into the sporting arena last night when a member of the crowd shouted “Leave Greenland alone” as the US national anthem was sung during an NBA game in London.
Actor Vanessa Williams was mid-performance when she was interrupted by the heckle which drew a round of applause and cheers from sections of the crowd.
Watch that moment below…
By Tom Clarke, science and technology editor
As Donald Trump fights for control of arctic Greenland, is he losing at the other end of the world and leaving it open for rivals like China?
While US designs on Greenland are entirely deliberate, withdrawal of influence in Antarctica appears to be accidental.
Proposed cuts to climate-related research – which covers much of what is done in the rapidly melting Antarctic – are “catastrophic”, according to Prof Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the University of Colorado and veteran of US Antarctic research.
In Antarctica, cuts to science have wider implications because research is how nations have long maintained their influence in the continent.
The 1959 Antarctic treaty prohibits military or commercial activities on the frozen continent.
Prior to that, the UK along with Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand and Norway had territorial claims on parts of the continent.
Those claims are “in abeyance” – effectively suspended – under the treaty, but any nation can do scientific research.
Those with interests in the region, maintain their presence via scientists, research stations and the hardware like icebreakers and aircraft needed to support them.
The UK is no exception.
Red caps mocking Donald Trump’s MAGA movement are becoming a symbol of protest in Denmark as opposition grows to his renewed rhetoric about seizing Greenland.
Instead of “Make America Great Again,” the caps are emblazoned with the slogans “Make America Go Away” and “Nu det NUUK!” – a twist on the Danish phrase “Nu er det nok,” meaning “Now it’s enough,” substituting Nuuk, Greenland’s tiny capital.
The red caps were originally created by 58-year-old Copenhagen clothing store owner Jesper Rabe Tonnesen.
“It was sold like in a half day, and we could have sold thousands now,” he told the Associated Press.
Tonnesen says he’s ordered “thousands” more caps. All profits, he says, will be donated to a Greenlandic children’s charity.
Wales would be “disproportionately affected” by US tariffs, the country’s first minister has said, adding she has written to Keir Starmer to express her concerns about the impact of the measures on the Welsh economy and businesses.
According to the Welsh government, more than 1,000 businesses in the country, around a third of Wales’ exporters, send goods to the US.
Morgan said: “People across Wales are already struggling with the cost of living – increased tariffs will only put further pressure on Welsh businesses.”
She added: “Threatening the use of tariffs is an unacceptable and aggressive act from a country we consider a friend and ally.”
By David Blevins, US correspondent
Sir Keir Starmer was calling for compromise. Donald Trump wasn’t ruling out taking Greenland by force.
A guarded, but telling, “no comment” he replied when asked if that was an option.
But will he proceed with his plan to impose tariffs on NATO allies standing in his way? “100%” without a hint of concession.
These are choppy waters for transatlantic relations, a storm kicked up because Donald Trump didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize, it seems.
He said as much in a text to the Norwegian prime minister, announcing his shift of focus from peace.
To Democrats, that correspondence via diplomatic channels is evidence of a “petty grievance”. But what do Republicans think?
Senators Thom Thillis and Lisa Murkowski joined a bipartisan mission to Denmark at the weekend to engage in diplomacy, but others have been deafeningly silent.
That may be because their constituents are more focused on the price of groceries than on anything Trump does in terms of foreign affairs.
Or it may be because this is exactly the presidency he promised them – a strongman in the White House, putting the world in its place.
This is what US voted for
He has long presented himself as the disrupter, overlooked by the global elites, and his apparent obsession with winning the Nobel Prize plays into that.
So, the worst mistake anyone could make right now is to view everything Trump says or does as a potential tipping point for America.
If his historic comeback a year ago teaches us anything, it’s not to view the United States through Europe’s lens.
This is the Trump America voted for – bold, unpredictable, uncompromising.
He is not a man in the business of conceding he might have made a mistake.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is making a statement in the House of Commons about Greenland, security in the Arctic and Donald Trump’s tariffs threats.
She says the UK’s response “rests on three key principles”.
“First, Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Its future is a matter for Greenlanders and the Danes and them alone. This reflects the fundamental principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity to which this whole House is committed.
“Second, the use or the threat of tariffs against allies in this way is completely wrong. It is unwarranted, and it is counterproductive.
“Third, Arctic security is a shared concern and a shared responsibility for both sides of the Atlantic. It can only be effectively addressed and maintained through a cooperation between transatlantic allies and, crucially, through NATO.”
Cooper says a trade war “would hurt workers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic” and would be in nobody’s interests.
She adds that UK Defence Secretary John Healey will visit Denmark on Wednesday.
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