President Donald Trump on Friday warned that the USA might impose tariffs on international locations that don’t help his push for American management of Greenland, escalating tensions with European allies over the strategically necessary Arctic island.
Trump has beforehand used tariffs and financial stress as a diplomatic weapon. His administration imposed punitive measures on international locations shopping for Russian oil and, most lately, enforced sweeping sanctions on international locations concerned in commerce with Iran. Trump has now threatened to impose tariffs on international locations that don’t conform to his plan to take management of Greenland.
“I’ll put a tariff on international locations in the event that they don’t associate with Greenland, as a result of we’d like Greenland for nationwide safety,” Trump stated whereas talking at a White Home well being occasion.
Senior officers from the USA, Denmark and Greenland lately held face-to-face talks in Washington to debate Trump’s ambitions. Danish Overseas Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen stated a “elementary disagreement” remained after the conferences with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, including that Denmark had not anticipated to vary Washington’s place.
Regardless of the variations, the three sides agreed to arrange a high-level working group to discover attainable areas of compromise. Rasmussen stated the group would give attention to addressing US safety considerations whereas respecting Denmark’s “crimson traces,” noting that each international locations are allies inside NATO.
MILITARY SIGNALS IN THE ARCTIC
As diplomatic talks continued, Denmark introduced it was growing its army presence in Greenland, alongside a number of European allies. France, Germany, Norway and Sweden stated they have been sending small numbers of troops in what officers described as a symbolic however deliberate present of solidarity with Copenhagen. Britain and Germany additionally confirmed restricted deployments linked to Arctic safety workout routines.
Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated the purpose was to work in direction of a extra everlasting army presence and increase joint workout routines with allies within the Arctic within the coming weeks.
The developments come amid wider concern amongst Western allies about rising strategic competitors within the Arctic. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged NATO to develop a “coordinated presence” within the area to stop tensions and counter what she described as interference by different actors.
Trump has repeatedly argued that US management of Greenland is important to stop Russia or China from gaining a foothold on the mineral-rich island, a declare rejected by Denmark and Greenland throughout this week’s talks. Russia has denied posing any menace to Greenland, whereas China has accused Washington of utilizing different international locations as a pretext to pursue its personal pursuits.
Analysts say the mixture of tariff threats, stalled diplomacy and symbolic troop deployments dangers additional straining transatlantic relations, at the same time as European leaders push for Arctic safety to be dealt with collectively inside NATO reasonably than by unilateral strikes.
– Ends
(With inputs from Reuters, Related Press)
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