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Countries of the European Union demonstrated their unity this Sunday in the face of tariff threats launched by Donald Trump, who insists on his desire to seize Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.
Given the gravity of the situation, the President of the European Council, António Costa, announced an extraordinary summit of EU leaders "in the coming days," following an emergency meeting of the bloc's ambassadors.
According to EU sources, this extraordinary summit is likely to take place on Thursday.
"Together, we stand firm in our commitment to defend the sovereignty of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark," stated the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on X.
The senior official added that she spoke during the day with several leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
An EU diplomat noted that Sunday's ambassador meeting demonstrated the bloc's willingness to make it clear to the United States that using trade measures as a means of pressure was unacceptable.
In addition, the source mentioned that the EU had "several tools at its disposal to respond if necessary."
Alongside the search for a diplomatic solution, countries asked the European Commission (the bloc's executive arm) to examine possible responses, according to another source.
Previously, French President Emmanuel Macron had indicated his intention to request the activation of the EU's powerful anti-coercion instrument in the event of new US tariffs.
This instrument, known as the "economic nuclear weapon," allows for the limitation of a country's imports or its access to certain public markets and the blocking of certain investments.
Diplomatic sources said that no decision had been made in this regard for now.
Another possible response for EU countries would be to reactivate retaliatory measures on a list worth 93 billion euros in US products.
That response, which had been considered for a time, was suspended following the signing of a trade agreement between Washington and Brussels in 2025.
That agreement, which the European Parliament must examine in the coming days, is no longer to the liking of the MEPs.
- "Unidos y coordinados" -
"Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk leading to a dangerous spiral. We will continue to remain united and coordinated in our response. We are determined to defend our sovereignty," Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom noted in a joint statement.
Since his return to the White House, Trump has insisted on wanting to take control of Greenland, citing national security reasons, as he claims that if he does not, Russia or China would occupy it.
In response to the tensions between Washington and Copenhagen, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland sent troops to Greenland for a training mission this week.
Trump intensified his warnings on Saturday. "These countries are playing an extremely dangerous game," wrote Trump on his Truth Social network.
Irritated by this deployment of European military forces, Trump threatened these countries with new tariffs until "an agreement is reached for the full and complete purchase of Greenland."
The 10% tariffs would go into effect on February 1 and could rise to 25% on June 1.
The eight countries concerned responded in a joint statement affirming that "tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk triggering a dangerous spiral."
"We will remain united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to the defense of our sovereignty," they added, in relation to this unprecedented crisis between NATO members.
- Contacto entre jefe de la OTAN y Trump -
Since his return to the White House, Trump has used tariffs in his international relations to exert pressure and achieve his goals.
But in this case, it is an unprecedented threat: the United States, a pillar of NATO, is threatening its own allies within the Atlantic Alliance with sanctions in order to take an island that is part of the territory of one of its partners, Denmark.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte declared this Sunday that he spoke with Trump "about the security situation in Greenland and the Arctic."
"We will continue working on this and I hope to see him in Davos later this week," said Rutte on X.
Thousands of people protested on Saturday in Copenhagen and in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, to denounce these territorial ambitions, chanting "Greenland is not for sale!"
According to a survey published in January 2025, 85% of Greenlanders oppose the annexation of the island by the United States, while only 6% are in favor.
[Publicidad]