Greenland: President Donald Trump said Saturday, January 17, that he would charge a 10 per cent import tax starting in February on goods from eight European nations because of their opposition to American control of Greenland.

Trump said in a social media post that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland would face the tariff and that it would climb to 25 per cent on June 1 if a deal is not in place for “the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by the United States.

The threat of tariffs was a drastic and potentially dangerous escalation of a showdown between Trump and NATO allies, further straining an alliance that dates to 1949 and provides a collective degree of security to Europe and North America.

The Republican president has repeatedly tried to use trade penalties to bend allies and rivals alike to his will, generating investment commitments from some nations and pushback from others such as China, Brazil and India.

It was unclear how Trump could impose the tariffs under US law, though he could cite economic emergency powers that are currently subject to a US Supreme Court challenge.

Trump said in his Truth Social post that his tariffs were retaliation for recent trips to Greenland by representatives from Britain, the Netherlands and Finland and for general opposition to his efforts to purchase the semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.

He has Greenland is essential for the “Golden Dome” missile defence system for the US, and has argued that Russia and China might try to take over the island.

Resistance has steadily built in Europe to Trump’s ambitions, even as several countries on the continent agreed to his 15 per cent tariffs last year in order to preserve an economic and security relationship with Washington.