EU ambassadors have been summoned for an emergency meeting in Brussels today in response to Donald Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland. European leaders have branded the move by Washington “unacceptable”. Follow the latest.
Sunday 18 January 2026 07:30, UK
Donald Trump is facing opposition to his tariff announcement from home as well as from Europe.
Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, says he will “be offering a resolution to terminate these illegal and absurd tariffs immediately”.
He said: “Trump is manufacturing a foreign crisis and sabotaging our closest alliance – all while ignoring the real crisis the American people actually care about: affordability.”
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said Trump’s “foolhardy tariffs have already driven up prices and damaged our economy and now he is only making things worse”.
“It is incredible that he wants to double down on the stupidity by imposing tariffs on our closest allies for his quixotic quest to takeover Greenland.”
By Mark Stone, US correspondent
“The situation is critical…” Those are the four words a top European diplomat chose when we discussed Trump’s position on Greenland.
Others have used similar language… “unprecedented”, “extraordinary”, “urgent”, “serious”.
Honestly, this is truly a bizarre situation for America’s European allies to be in.
But most of all, for the people of Greenland, this feels truly existential. Too often in this whole debate it seems to be forgotten that Greenland is a nation, a people, a culture.
Here are five takeaways from conversations I have been having here in Washington – what all this means and what next…
The threat by Donald Trump to impose fresh tariffs on eight allies opposed to his proposed takeover of Greenland has drawn condemnation from European leaders.
Here’s how each of those nations have responded:
In Greenland itself, thousands took to the streets yesterday to protest Trump’s demands that the island be ceded to the US.
The demonstrations, which began prior to Trump’s tariff announcement, even saw the country’s PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen join in and wave flags.
European Union ambassadors have been summoned for an emergency meeting in Brussels today in response to Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
Cyprus, which currently holds the EU presidency, said it had called for the meeting of ambassadors from the union’s 27 countries.
EU diplomats said it was set to start at 5pm (4pm UK time).
Tariffs would ‘undermine’ transatlantic relationship
EU diplomats were quick to denounce Donald Trump’s tariff announcement, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying they would “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral”.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, struck a similar tone, claiming China and Russia will be having a “field day” following the announcement.
“They are the ones who benefit from divisions among Allies,” she wrote on X.
“If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity.”
Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage.
European Union ambassadors have been summoned for an emergency meeting in Brussels today as countries discuss how to respond to Donald Trump’s tariff threat.
We’ll resume our updates shortly, but first, here’s a breakdown of what the US president announced yesterday…
Watch: Backlash over Trump threat
Thanks for following our live coverage, we’re pausing our updates for now.
Donald Trump has said he will implement a wave of tariffs on European countries – including the UK – until the US is allowed to purchase Greenland.
He said 10% tariffs would come into effect on 1 February for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland.
Those tariffs will then increase to 25% on 1 June until a deal is reached for the US to purchase Greenland.
See his Truth Social post in full…
The move has been met with widespread condemnation from the European countries, who sent military personnel to the Danish territory earlier this week as a show of support.
Here’s a round-up of the reaction…
As Donald Trump took to social media to set out how he intends to impose tariffs on eight European countries, people in Greenland held a protest against the US president’s threat.
Crowds waved the territory’s red and white flag and held signs with slogans such as “Greenland is for Greenlanders”.
The EU’s top foreign diplomat has called for Greenland’s security to be addressed inside NATO.
Kaja Kallas wrote in a post on social media that “China and Russia must be having a field day”.
“They are the ones who benefit from divisions among allies,” she said.
Kallas added that tariffs risk making Europe and the US “poorer and undermine our shared prosperity”.
“We also cannot let our dispute distract us from our core task of helping to end Russia’s war against Ukraine,” she said.
We’ve now heard from Denmark, which has described its “shock” at Donald Trump’s move to impose tariffs on eight European countries.
In a statement, the country’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen referred back to his meeting with US vice president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio.
“The purpose of the increased military presence in Greenland, to which the president refers, is to enhance security in the Arctic,” he said.
“We agree with the US that we need to do more since the Arctic is no longer a low tension area.
“That’s exactly why we and NATO partners are stepping up in full transparency with our American allies.”
Rasmussen also firmed Denmark is in close contact with the European Commission and other partners over its territory.
Donald Trump’s former national security adviser has criticised the US president’s threat of imposing tariffs on eight European countries over Greenland.
Writing in The Telegraph, John Bolton said it is “without doubt his most dangerous and destructive assertion during the five years of his presidency”.
“To say it is without precedent radically understates how foolish and contrary to fundamental American interests it is,” he said.
‘We will all be less secure’
Bolton said negotiation among NATO allies can help resolve any existing issues without the need for American sovereignty over Greenland or military or coercive economic force.
“I would be delighted if Greenlanders voted, freely and fairly, to become a US commonwealth, but Trump’s blustering this past year has ensured that won’t happen,” he added.
“Nonetheless, numerous alternatives exist.”
He goes on to say that if Trump is not stopped from implementing the tariffs, “there is little doubt relations between Washington and London, and all other capitals, will take a stunning turn for the worse”.
“We will all be less secure in an increasingly threatening world,” he said.
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