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Trump has threatened European countries with higher tariffs if he doesn’t get Greenland. Will it work_2.52 MB
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Magazine article
Trump has threatened European countries with higher tariffs if he doesn’t get Greenland. Will it work?
The Conversation, Vol.19 January 2026
2026
Appears in The Conversation
Abstract
In an extraordinary escalation of his bid to claim Greenland, US President Donald Trump has threatened eight European countries – Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Great Britain, France and Germany and the Netherlands – with a 10% tariff on all goods coming into the United States from February 1 until he is able to buy the semi-autonomous Danish territory. That tariff will then increase to 25% on June 1.
On the one hand, Greenland is potentially rich in raw materials and rare earth minerals, highly desirable for US tech giants who control key levers of power in Washington. On the other, Trump claims it is necessary for national security.
Greenland is part of a sovereign country, Denmark, and any offensive action against it would constitute an act of aggression.
In the past few days, a small number of European troops have arrived in Greenland to bolster its defences. Trump’s recalcitrant stance has sent shockwaves across Europe, which is now questioning the future of NATO.
So what might happen now?
Details
- Title
- Trump has threatened European countries with higher tariffs if he doesn’t get Greenland. Will it work?
- Authors
- Shannon Brincat - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
- Publication details
- The Conversation, Vol.19 January 2026
- Publisher
- Conversation Media Group
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.64628/AA.p7dthrtmu
- ISSN
- 2201-5639
- Copyright note
- © The Conversation Media Group. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Organisation Unit
- Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991201650402621
- Output Type
- Magazine article
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