This was written on Saturday, January 17, on the social network Truth Social by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“We have subsidized Denmark, all of the European Union and other countries for many years without charging them tariffs or any other form of remuneration. Now, centuries later, it’s time for Denmark to give back – world peace is at stake!” – wrote the head of the White House.
According to him, from June 1, the duties will increase to 25%.
The fees “will be levied until a deal is reached on the full and final purchase of Greenland,” Trump said, adding that the US “has been trying to make this transaction for over 150 years,” but Denmark has refused.
The tariffs will be imposed in addition to those already in place, Reuters specified.
Two days earlier, Donald Trump said he may impose duties on countries that do not support US control of Greenland. “America needs it for national security,” the US president explained.
The president’s statements came as US congressional representatives were on a visit to the Danish capital. The bipartisan delegation traveled to Copenhagen in an attempt to ease tensions.
Earlier, on January 14, Danish and Greenlandic Foreign Ministers Lars Lekke Rasmussen and Vivian Motsfeldt met with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. The consultations ended without a result, Euronews specified.
Motzfeldt, in particular, noted that she would like to strengthen cooperation with the White House, but would not want Greenland to go under U.S. control.
Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark. The island is not part of the European Union, but is part of NATO within Denmark. According to Donald Trump, Greenland is key to the national security of the United States, as well as the security of the Arctic region, where, according to the head of the White House, the activity of Russia and China has increased. Trump plans to make the island key in the planned US missile defense system Golden Dome (Golden Dome).
According to the US President, Washington must gain control over Greenland “one way or another”, and a forceful solution to the problem is “one of the options”. The conflict over the Arctic territory, according to observers, threatens to split NATO.
