European officials have reacted with alarm to the announcement by United States President Donald Trump that the country will impose additional tariffs due to opposition to Washington's establishment of control over Greenland.
Several European countries have sent troops to Greenland in the past few days, under the pretext that they are there for security training at the North Pole.
Trump announced that he would impose tariffs of an additional 10 percent on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland.
European foreign policy chief Kaia Kalas said that China and Russia would benefit from the division between the US and Europe, and she said on social media that "if Greenland's security is threatened, we can resolve it within NATO. Tariffs risk impoverishing Europe and the US and undermining our shared prosperity."
U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot and Democrat representing Arizona, announced that Trump's threats of tariffs on U.S. allies would force Americans to "pay more to try to get territory they don't need."
"The armies of European countries are arriving in Greenland to defend the territory from us. Let that enter your consciousness," he wrote on social media, adding that "the damage this president (Trump) is causing to our reputation and our relations is increasing, making us less safe. If something does not change, we will be alone with opponents and enemies in all directions."
EU envoys have scheduled emergency talks for Sunday evening to determine a potential response to Trump's threats.
European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to continue to show full solidarity with Denmark and Greenland.
"Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated and committed to preserving its sovereignty," they wrote in a joint statement last night.
The right-wing British Reform Party also reacted to the announcement of Trump's measures.
"We don't always agree with the US government, and in this case we certainly don't. These tariffs will hurt us," the leader of that party, Nigel Farage, a longtime ally of Trump, wrote on social networks.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the tariff announcement was "completely wrong" and that his government would "engage directly with the US administration."
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