President Trump responded with a brief “no comment” today when asked if the United States would consider acquiring Greenland through military force. Trump had previously stated that the U.S. would take control of Greenland “one way or another” and had threatened to impose tariffs on nations opposing his intentions regarding the island.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump refrained from elaborating on the potential use of military action to secure Greenland. Following Trump’s trade war threats concerning Greenland, Sir Keir Starmer urged for calm and downplayed the likelihood of a U.S. invasion.
Starmer emphasized the importance of resolving the conflict over Greenland, a mineral-rich region strategically significant for its Arctic location, through peaceful discussions among allies rather than resorting to military force or economic conflicts. He expressed skepticism about Trump’s seriousness regarding military annexation of the island and emphasized that Britain would not participate in a trade war to settle disputes within the alliance.
Trump announced plans to impose a 10% tariff on all goods shipped from Britain to the U.S. starting February 1, escalating to 25% from June 1 until an agreement is reached for the U.S. to purchase Greenland from Denmark. The same tariff measures would apply to other NATO member countries, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland.
Sir Keir Starmer dismissed the notion of a potential U.S. invasion of Greenland, highlighting the importance of resolving the matter through calm discussions while denouncing the use of tariffs as an inappropriate means of resolving differences within the alliance. In a statement from Downing Street, Sir Keir urged unity in addressing the crisis and reiterated that Greenland’s sovereignty should be determined by Greenland and Denmark alone, condemning the misuse of tariffs against allies and emphasizing the need for constructive dialogue to strengthen Greenland’s security without resorting to economic pressure.