British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined European leaders on Sunday warning that NATO risks entering a “dangerous spiral” of destabilization, after Donald Trump threatened to trigger a trade war against allies opposing the United States’ takeover of Greenland.
In an unprecedented joint statement, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom conveyed their firm support for the “principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity” and expressed their full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland.
Trump’s intervention shocked the military alliance. The American president announced that states opposing the takeover of the autonomous Danish territory would be sanctioned with punitive tariffs starting February 1st. In an explosive post on his social network, Trump specified that the taxes would start at 10% and could reach 25% by June if the opposition does not “surrender”.
Europe Closes Ranks
The European response was swift and coordinated. “Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk triggering a dangerous spiral,” the joint statement read. The signatory states highlighted that Danish military exercises in the Arctic, conducted in cooperation with NATO allies, pose no threat to anyone, but respond to a real security need in an increasingly disputed region.
The message is clear: Arctic security is a common interest of NATO, and the use of trade tools to force strategic decisions within the alliance is considered unacceptable.
London, Between Loyalty and Alarm
Trump’s statements have fueled fears that the White House leader is willing to fracture the Western pact that has underpinned global stability for nearly eight decades. In the UK, reactions were harsh. Conservative MPs even called for the cancellation of King Charles’s state visit to Washington, scheduled for spring.
“The civilized world can no longer negotiate with Trump. He is a gangster-pirate,” declared Simon Hoare, an influential figure in the Conservative Party.
Culture Minister, Lisa Nandy, insisted that support for Greenland’s sovereignty is “non-negotiable” and labeled the trade threats as “profoundly unhelpful”. However, the British government is, for now, avoiding directly linking this crisis to the royal visit, citing the “depth of the transatlantic relationship”.
Economists warn that the UK could re-enter the “recession watch list” if the US applies the announced tariffs. In parallel, high-ranking European parliamentarians warn that a EU-US trade deal could be frozen, fueling the specter of a new global trade war.
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