Russia and major European powers on Monday warned against threats and coercion by US President Donald Trump over his push to take control of Greenland, while agreeing that the dispute risked deepening tensions among allies and destabilising the transatlantic political and trade order.
The Kremlin said it was difficult to disagree with experts who say US President Donald Trump would make history if he took control of Greenland.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he was not commenting on whether such a move would be good or bad, but was stating a fact.
Trump has insisted he will settle for nothing less than ownership of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, arguing that if the United States does not take control of the island, then Russia or China will.
Peskov said there had been a lot of “disturbing information” but that the Kremlin would not comment on alleged Russian designs on Greenland.
“Here, perhaps, it is possible to abstract from whether this is good or bad, whether it will comply with the parameters of international law or not,” Peskov said. “There are international experts who believe that by resolving the issue of Greenland’s incorporation, Trump will certainly go down in history. And not only in the history of the United States, but also in world history.”
Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have insisted that the island is not for sale and does not want to be part of the United States.
Russia’s foreign ministry last week said it was unacceptable for the West to keep claiming that Russia and China threatened Greenland.
Major EU states called the move blackmail.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Monday for calm discussions to avert a possible trade war with the United States over Greenland, urging Trump to respect alliances such as Nato rather than undermine them.
Starmer said he had told Trump on Sunday that the threatened tariffs were wrong, and on Monday added that he would use “the full strength of government” to try to stop a decision that could hurt already stretched households.
“Tariffs should not be used against allies in this way,” Starmer said, adding that he was not looking to escalate the dispute.
“A tariff war is in nobody’s interests, and we have not got to that stage. And my focus, therefore, is making sure we don’t get to that stage,” he said.
Trump threatened tariffs on imports from the eight countries which sent small numbers of military personnel to Greenland last week.
Starmer said he told Trump that those forces were “clearly there to assess and work on risk from the Russians”, adding that he hoped there was now “real clarity” on the issue.
The British prime minister signalled that his approach would differ from that of the European Union, which has discussed options including a package of tariffs on 93 billion euros, or about $108 billion, of US imports.
He said he did not believe Trump was genuinely considering military action. “I don’t, actually. I think that this can be resolved and should be resolved through calm discussion,” Starmer said.
Germany and France took a tougher line, pledging a united European response to any additional US tariffs.
“Germany and France agree: we will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed,” German finance minister Lars Klingbeil said as he hosted his French counterpart Roland Lescure in Berlin.
“Blackmail between allies of 250 years, blackmail between friends, is obviously unacceptable,” Lescure said.
“We Europeans must make it clear: The limit has been reached,” Klingbeil added. “Our hand is extended but we are not prepared to be blackmailed.”
Lescure said that while the EU’s anti-coercion instrument was primarily a deterrent and had never been used, it should be considered in the current circumstances.
“France wants us to examine this possibility, hoping of course that deterrence will prevail,” he said, adding that he hoped the transatlantic relationship would return to being “friendly and based on negotiation rather than a relationship based on threats and blackmail”.
Klingbeil said he was not interested in escalation, warning that it would damage economies on both sides of the Atlantic.
Responding to comments by US treasury secretary Scott Bessent, who said on Sunday that European “weakness” necessitated US control of Greenland for global stability, Lescure said, “Our objective in the coming days, weeks, quarters and years is to politely but firmly convince Scott Bessent that he is wrong.”
Just as European companies were adjusting to last year’s hard-won US tariff deals, Trump has put them back in his sights with a threat to impose new levies on nations that oppose his planned takeover of Greenland.
Trump’s tariff announcements has rattled industry and sent shockwaves through markets amid fears of a return to the volatility of last year’s trade war, which was eased only after tariff deals were reached mid-year.
“This latest flashpoint has heightened concerns over a potential unraveling of Nato alliances and the disruption of last year’s trade agreements with several European nations,” said Tony Sycamore, a market analyst with IG in Sydney.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said an additional 10 per cent import tariff would take effect next month on goods from the listed European nations, all of which are already subject to tariffs imposed last year of between 10 per cent and 15 per cent.
The European Union, which had an estimated $1.5 trillion in goods and services trade with the United States in 2024, has signalled it is ready to fight back.
Europe is home to major carmakers in Germany, drugmakers in Denmark and Ireland, and consumer and luxury goods firms across Italy and France.
EU leaders are due to discuss their options at an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday.
One option is a package of tariffs on 93 billion euros of US imports that could take effect on February 6 after a six-month suspension.
Another is the Anti-Coercion Instrument, which could limit access to public tenders, investments, banking activity or trade in services, an area where the United States runs a surplus with the bloc.
An EU source told Reuters that the tariff package appeared to command broader support as a first response than the anti-coercion measures, for which support remained mixed.