The announcement triggered swift backlash across Europe. EU ambassadors held emergency talks, and EU Council President Antonio Costa warned that the tariffs would damage transatlantic relations and violate the EU-U.S. trade agreement. Costa emphasized that the EU is “ready to defend ourselves against any form of coercion,” with a special summit scheduled for Thursday to address the Greenland situation.
Meanwhile, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands, and Finland released a joint statement stressing that troops deployed to Greenland under Operation Arctic Endurance “pose no threat to anyone.” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen confirmed ongoing dialogue but said, “We will not give up… So we will stay on track—unless the U.S. decides differently.” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide added:
“We will not allow ourselves to be put under pressure, and those types of threats are unacceptable between close allies.”
The controversy has sparked one of the strongest European rebukes since Trump returned to the White House. Republican Rep. Michael McCaul also weighed in, warning that any military action in Greenland could put the U.S. in direct conflict with NATO allies and potentially dismantle the alliance. On This Week, McCaul explained:
Around 1,000 Greenlanders gather in the city center and march to the US consulate building located on the outskirts of the city to protesting US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on the sovereignty of their country, in Nuuk, Greenland on March 15, 2025. (Photo by Ahmet Gurhan Kartal/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The president has full military access to Greenland to protect us from any threat. If he wants to purchase Greenland, that’s one thing. But a military invasion would turn NATO’s Article 5 on its head and risk a war with our allies. It could end NATO as we know it.”
With Europe uniting against threats and U.S. rhetoric intensifying, the Greenland standoff is quickly becoming a global flashpoint.
What do you think about the Greenland dispute—should the U.S. pursue control, or respect NATO and local opinion? Share your thoughts below.