Eight European nations back Greenland, Denmark in face of Trump's annexation threat

Eight European nations in a joint statement on Sunday said they stood in solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland following U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to annex the Arctic island.

"As members of NATO, we are committed to strengthening Arctic security as a shared transatlantic interest," Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Britain said in the statement.

"Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral," the statement said.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced earlier this weekend that eight countries will face a 10 per cent tariff for opposing American control of Greenland.

The responses to Trump’s decision on Saturday ranged from saying it risked "a dangerous downward spiral" to predicting that "China and Russia must be having a field day."

Trump’s threat sets up a potentially dangerous test of U.S. partnerships in Europe. Several European countries have sent troops to Greenland in recent days, saying they are there for Arctic security training. Trump’s announcement came Saturday as thousands of Greenlanders were wrapping up a protest outside the U.S. Consulate in the capital, Nuuk.

"The pre-coordinated Danish exercise ‘Arctic Endurance,’ conducted with Allies, responds to this necessity. It poses no threat to anyone," the statement by the eight countries said.

"We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland. Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind."

The Republican president appeared to indicate that he was using the tariffs as leverage to force talks with Denmark and other European countries over the status of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that he regards as critical to U.S. national security. The eight countries that signed the statement would face the tariff.

There are immediate questions about how the White House could try to implement the tariffs because the European Union is a single economic zone in terms of trading, according to a European diplomat who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said China and Russia will benefit from the divisions between the U.S. and Europe. She added in a post on social media: “If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity."

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he is “concerned” about U.S. “escalation” on its push to buy Greenland after it threatened to impose tariffs on the eight European nations opposed to the plan.

Speaking to reporters in Doha, Qatar, Carney said Canada will always support sovereignty and territorial integrity and that the future of Greenland is up to its people and Denmark.

The prime minister said Greenland is protected through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and that Canada is committed to working with alliance partners in increasing Arctic defence capabilities.