{"id":197317,"date":"2026-01-18T10:39:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T10:39:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trump-latest-eu-ambassadors-to-meet-in-brussels-as-leaders-slam-unacceptable-us-tariffs-over-greenland-sky-news\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T10:39:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T10:39:43","slug":"trump-latest-eu-ambassadors-to-meet-in-brussels-as-leaders-slam-unacceptable-us-tariffs-over-greenland-sky-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trump-latest-eu-ambassadors-to-meet-in-brussels-as-leaders-slam-unacceptable-us-tariffs-over-greenland-sky-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump latest: EU ambassadors to meet in Brussels as leaders slam 'unacceptable' US tariffs over Greenland – Sky News"},"content":{"rendered":"

EU envoys have been summoned for emergency talks in Brussels today, as the UK and EU allies face a new round of Donald Trump tariffs – this time over Greenland. The president’s move has been branded “unacceptable”, while opposition is stirring domestically as well. Follow the latest.
Sunday 18 January 2026 10:26, UK
The president of the United Nations General Assembly says it is up to the people of Greenland to decide the fate of their country.
Annalena Baerbock told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips<\/a><\/b> that “the right of sovereignty lies with the people in every country, and the people of Greenland, the people of Denmark have been crystal clear about it, that it’s self-determination”.
She said that “international law is very clear” when it comes to sovereignty.
Challenged whether the US’s actions now amount to an attack on the UN’s principles, Baerbock says: “The charter is crystal clear about annexation. So it’s crystal clear of the use of war. It’s forbidden if not agreed in the international community.”
By Sean Bell<\/a>, military analyst<\/b>
Donald Trump is not the first US leader to be interested in securing Greenland, the biggest island in the world.
During the Second World War, the US occupied Greenland when Denmark was occupied by Germany, but at the end of the war the US was reluctant to leave.
In 1949, both the US and Denmark joined NATO, and in 1951 they signed a treaty which legally obliged the US to defend Greenland.
This was followed in 1953 by the US building Thule Air Base, which has subsequently been renamed Pituffik Space Base.
The US has three primary reasons for believing that Greenland is vital to its national security…
Donald Trump says acquiring Greenland is “vital” for US security and for his Golden Dome missile defence shield project.
The US leader has claimed both China and Russia want to take control of the Arctic nation, “and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it”.
If a country hostile to the US were able to seize Greenland (a major if), it would prove to be a hugely strategic base from which to launch missile attacks.
That’s also where the Golden Dome project comes in.
Announced by Trump in May, the plan is to build a missile defence shield that completely protects the US from aerial attack.
Styled on Israel’s Iron Dome, it’s designed to be able to detect and stop missiles at all points of attack, from before launch to when they are descending towards a target, the Trump administration has said. 
The White House has said that Canada had agreed to take part.
Watch: What is Trump’s Golden Dome?<\/b>
Lisa Nandy has insisted that the future of Greenland is “for the people of Greenland”, and called new US tariffs “the wrong approach”.
Speaking on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips<\/a>, the UK culture secretary said she echoed the sentiments of Keir Starmer.
“Our position on Greenland is non-negotiable. We’ve made that very clear. And we’ll continue to make that clear.”
She adds that they have expressed this view to the Trump administration and that the government believes “we need to be working together” to resolve the “serious challenges” facing the world at the moment. 
Donald Trump has made his desire for Greenland clear.
In an interview with The Hill this week, House Speaker – and key Trump ally – Mike Johnson said the US wants the territory for “national security and critical minerals and many other reasons”.
That’s a different message to his boss, who said last month the US needs Greenland for “national security, not for minerals”.
Despite that apparent split, there is broad agreement that Greenland holds untapped deposits of critical minerals and rare earth elements.
What isn’t clear is if it really would be worth the effort to mine them.
What does Greenland have?<\/b>
Greenland hosts a variety of valuable ore and mineral deposits, from gold and iron to copper and graphite.
Much of the country’s resources remain untapped due to the island’s isolation and harsh conditions.
The US Geological Survey has identified 60 minerals as critical for the US economy and national security.
A subset of these minerals – known as “rare earth elements”, such as neodymium and dysprosium – are necessary for manufacturing the magnets and motors that power the tech industry.
Others are key for the semiconductors driving the AI boom.
But would it be worth it?<\/b>
In comments to our US partner network NBC News<\/b><\/a>, mining expert and Durin Mining Technologies founder Ted Feldmann said: “I think it’s a great idea to expand America’s presence in Greenland to counter Russia and China.”
“But I don’t think we should go there for the minerals,” he added.
Feldmann said he’s not convinced adding to that figure would merit the investment required. 
“The Tanbreez deposit in southern Greenland is supposedly one of the biggest rare earth mineral deposits in the world, but the mineral there just holds such a small percentage of the valuable metal that it probably isn’t economically viable to ship,” he said.
‘We need new mining areas’<\/b>
While Greenland has over 140 active mineral licences, which must be issued before mines can be made, there are only two active mines in the territory.
Eldur Olafsson, the chief executive of Amaroq, the company behind one of the two active mines, argues his company’s gold mine in the south proves operations are possible with the right approach.
“We always need new mining areas, or we need to reprocess metal, to have enough metal for the revolution that is coming, which is AI and similar technology,” he added.
Access to rare earth minerals is seen as a key choke point for many high-tech supply chains. 
China, one of the US’s tech rivals, has grown to dominate rare earths production and has used access as a negotiating chip with Trump. 
It would be the “end of the world order as we know it” if the US were to seize Greenland by force, the former head of NATO has said. 
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who is also a former Danish prime minister, told the Financial Times that Trump is using language on Greenland similar to that of the “gangsters” in Russia and China he should be trying to control.
“For me, it’s been a painful process. Since childhood, I have considered the United States as the natural leader of the free world. I’ve even spoken about the US as the world’s policeman,” said Rasmussen, who sent Danish troops to fight with the US in Afghanistan. 
“Now we see the United States use a language that’s pretty close to the gangsters that they should control in Moscow, Beijing, etc.”
He added: “Divisions in the west play into Russian hands. I’m sure Moscow hopes Greenland becomes the iceberg that sinks NATO. 
“So this goes beyond Denmark and Greenland… Conquering Greenland would be the end of the world order as we know it.”
Denmark’s foreign minister will visit London tomorrow to discuss the security situation in the Arctic.
The foreign ministry in Copenhagen says Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s visit comes with the Arctic “increasingly the subject of geopolitical competition, placing new demands on NATO countries’ coordination, presence and deterrence”.
Rasmussen, who is also due to visit Sweden and Norway next week, says he will use the meetings to thank leaders for their “great support” received by Denmark during a “difficult time”.
The UK – together with a number of European allies – recently endorsed a declaration on Greenland, reaffirming that “Greenland belongs to its people,”and that only Denmark and Greenland can decide its future.
By Amanda Akass<\/a>, political correspondent<\/b>
It’s hardly a Love Actually moment of brave UK defiance in the face of a domineering US president – but Sir Keir Starmer has clearly decided it’s time to start pushing back.
Donald Trump, he has said, is “completely wrong” to slap tariffs on the UK and other European countries “for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies”.
He’s not going as far as President Macron, who has pledged never to change course in the face of “intimidation or threat”.
But while the PM has previously been clear about the UK’s staunch support for Denmark – he’s usually very cautious in his dealings with the mercurial president…
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said a US invasion of \u200cGreenland “would make Putin the happiest man on earth”.
In an interview \u200cpublished today in Spanish outlet La Vanguardia,  Sanchez said any military action by the US against Denmark’s vast \u2060Arctic island would damage NATO and legitimise the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. 
“If we focus \u200bon Greenland, I have to say \u200bthat a US invasion of that territory would make Vladimir Putin the happiest man ‍in the world. Why? Because it would legitimise his attempted invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
“If the United States were to use force, it \u200cwould be the death knell for NATO. Putin would be doubly happy.” 
Trump has repeatedly insisted he will settle for nothing less than ownership of Greenland, an \u200bautonomous territory of Denmark. 
Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have insisted the island is not for sale and does not want to ‍be part of the US.
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EU envoys have been summoned for emergency talks in Brussels today, as the UK and EU allies face a new round of Donald Trump tariffs – this time over Greenland. The president’s move has been branded “unacceptable”, while opposition is stirring domestically as well. Follow the latest.Sunday 18 January 2026 10:26, UKThe president of the United […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":197318,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-197317","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}