Europe is mobilising countermeasures in response to what officials are calling “blackmail” by US President Donald Trump, after he threatened tariffs against several countries opposing his interest in Greenland, Germany’s vice chancellor said Monday.
Speaking at a Berlin press conference alongside French Economy and Finance Minister Roland Lescure, Lars Klingbeil said: “We will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed. Europe will respond with a united, clear response, and we are now preparing countermeasures together with our European partners.”
Trump had vowed on Saturday to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on European countries, including Denmark, unless Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, was ceded to the United States. Over the weekend, Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden issued a joint statement rejecting the threat.
Klingbeil outlined three potential strands of Europe’s response: putting the current US-EU tariff deal on hold, reinstating European tariffs on US imports currently suspended until early February, and deploying other EU instruments to counter what he described as “economic blackmail” from Washington.
Lescure agreed, describing the US threat as “blackmail between allies of 250 years… obviously unacceptable.” He emphasised the need for Europe to remain united and coordinated, warning that all EU instruments must be ready to defend European sovereignty.
A meeting of G7 finance ministers is expected in the coming days to discuss pressing issues, including Greenland, with France, currently the chair, playing a leading role.
Klingbeil added that Trump’s repeated confrontational threats have reached a limit. “We are constantly experiencing a new confrontation that President Trump is seeking,” he said.