Donald Trump responded with a concise “no comment” today when questioned about the possibility of using military force to acquire Greenland. The US President had previously stated that the US would acquire Greenland by any means necessary and had even threatened imposing tariffs on countries opposing his intentions regarding the island.
During an interview with NBC News, Trump refrained from elaborating on the potential use of military action to secure Greenland. In response to Trump’s trade war threats over Greenland, Sir Keir Starmer urged for calm and downplayed the likelihood of a US invasion.
Sir Keir emphasized the importance of resolving the dispute over Greenland, a mineral-rich region sought after by Trump for its strategic Arctic positioning, through diplomatic discussions among allies rather than resorting to military actions or trade conflicts. He expressed skepticism about Trump’s genuine intention to use military force to annex Greenland and underscored that resorting to tariffs within an alliance was not the appropriate way to address differences.
Trump announced plans to impose a 10% tariff on all goods exported from Britain to the US starting February 1, with the tariff escalating to 25% from June 1, until an agreement is reached for the US to purchase Greenland from Denmark. Similar tariffs would also be imposed on other NATO member countries, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland.
When asked about Trump’s readiness to invade Greenland, Sir Keir expressed doubt and stressed the importance of resolving the matter through peaceful dialogue while upholding fundamental values. Sir Keir delivered an urgent message from Downing Street, urging unity in addressing the crisis and emphasizing the significance of calm discussions among allies in resolving such a serious issue.
He reiterated his stance that the sovereignty of Greenland should be determined solely by Greenland and Denmark, condemning the use of tariffs against allies and emphasizing that economic pressure should not be used as a justification for security efforts in Greenland.