KABUL (Pajhwok): US President Donald Trump has vowed to impose a new wave of escalating tariffs on European allies until the United States is allowed to buy Greenland, Reuters reported, escalating a dispute over the future of Denmark’s vast Arctic island.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump said an additional 10% import tariff would take effect on Feb. 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Great Britain, all of which are already subject to tariffs imposed by his administration.
The tariffs would increase to 25% on June 1 and would remain in place until a deal is reached allowing the United States to purchase Greenland, Trump wrote.
Trump has repeatedly insisted he will accept nothing less than ownership of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have said the island is not for sale and does not want to become part of the United States.
The president has repeatedly said Greenland is vital to US security because of its strategic location and mineral resources, and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the territory. European nations this week sent military personnel to the island at Denmark’s request.
“These countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable,” Trump wrote.
Protesters in Denmark and Greenland demonstrated on Saturday against Trump’s demands and called for the territory to be allowed to determine its own future.
The countries named by Trump have backed Denmark, warning that any U.S. military seizure of territory within NATO could undermine the alliance led by Washington.
“The president’s announcement comes as a surprise,” Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in a statement.
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