EU leaders are set to impose retaliatory tariffs and threaten economic sanctions against the US over Donald Trump's threat to levy new taxes on imports from eight nations who oppose his attempt to annex Greenland. In a joint statement, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland condemned Trump's actions as "blackmail" that undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.
The EU's top diplomats met for crisis talks on Sunday and discussed reviving a plan to levy tariffs on €93 billion of US goods. The move would impose duties on US cars, industrial goods, food, and drink. European leaders are committed to upholding their sovereignty and will not be intimidated or blackmailed into changing course.
Trump's threat has cast a long shadow over NATO and thrown doubt over the EU-US trade deal signed last August. The leader of the European parliament's largest group, Manfred Weber, said approval is "not possible at this stage". Socialist and Green MEPs had already reached a similar conclusion.
European leaders are standing united in support of Denmark and Greenland, with Finland's president Alexander Stubb saying that tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Germany's deputy chancellor Lars Klingbeil said his country will not be blackmailed and will extend a hand to the US in search of common solutions.
The EU is weighing its options and considering reactivating a package of counter-tariffs against €93 billion US goods, which were drawn up in response to Trump's previous economic threats. The measures would target US cars, industrial goods, food, and drink.
Trump has doubled down on his threat, claiming that NATO has been telling Denmark for 20 years that it must deal with the "Russian threat" to Greenland and that it is unable to do anything about it. He added: "Now it's time, and it will be done!!!" The US president's actions are being seen as a direct violation of article one and two of the North Atlantic Treaty.
The EU needs to activate its anti-coercion instrument, a law that allows wide-ranging economic sanctions in response to hostile actions from another state. The head of the European parliament's trade committee Bernd Lange said Trump is using trade as an instrument of political coercion, adding: "The EU cannot simply move on to business as usual."
As tensions rise, the EU and US are at risk of being poorer due to the dispute. China and Russia must be having a field day, according to the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas. The threat is distracting Europe from its core task of helping to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
The situation is being described as an "existential crisis" for NATO, with one former official saying that pretending it is not dealing with such a crisis is no longer possible or desirable.
The EU's top diplomats met for crisis talks on Sunday and discussed reviving a plan to levy tariffs on €93 billion of US goods. The move would impose duties on US cars, industrial goods, food, and drink. European leaders are committed to upholding their sovereignty and will not be intimidated or blackmailed into changing course.
Trump's threat has cast a long shadow over NATO and thrown doubt over the EU-US trade deal signed last August. The leader of the European parliament's largest group, Manfred Weber, said approval is "not possible at this stage". Socialist and Green MEPs had already reached a similar conclusion.
European leaders are standing united in support of Denmark and Greenland, with Finland's president Alexander Stubb saying that tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Germany's deputy chancellor Lars Klingbeil said his country will not be blackmailed and will extend a hand to the US in search of common solutions.
The EU is weighing its options and considering reactivating a package of counter-tariffs against €93 billion US goods, which were drawn up in response to Trump's previous economic threats. The measures would target US cars, industrial goods, food, and drink.
Trump has doubled down on his threat, claiming that NATO has been telling Denmark for 20 years that it must deal with the "Russian threat" to Greenland and that it is unable to do anything about it. He added: "Now it's time, and it will be done!!!" The US president's actions are being seen as a direct violation of article one and two of the North Atlantic Treaty.
The EU needs to activate its anti-coercion instrument, a law that allows wide-ranging economic sanctions in response to hostile actions from another state. The head of the European parliament's trade committee Bernd Lange said Trump is using trade as an instrument of political coercion, adding: "The EU cannot simply move on to business as usual."
As tensions rise, the EU and US are at risk of being poorer due to the dispute. China and Russia must be having a field day, according to the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas. The threat is distracting Europe from its core task of helping to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
The situation is being described as an "existential crisis" for NATO, with one former official saying that pretending it is not dealing with such a crisis is no longer possible or desirable.
... now it's like they're speaking different languages 
. Trump's threats are just like his tweets - all noise, no substance. Reminds me of the time when Putin would make these crazy demands on the West and everyone was like "oh no what's gonna happen?". But you know what happened back then? We stood our ground and didn't let him push us around 
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. EU leaders need to stand firm and not let Trump bully them into submission 
. Can't believe they're even considering those tariffs - that's just gonna make things worse 
.
but you know what? They always came through. So maybe this is just another test of their mettle 
. Fingers crossed they can pass with flying colors 
.
! like, what's next? 
EU leaders need to activate those economic sanctions ASAP and show him who's boss 
. We gotta protect ourselves and our sovereignty, no cap 
. And can we pls just focus on helpin' ukraine instead of dealin' with trump's drama? 
the EU needs to work together and not let this guy bring 'em down 
.
the eu needs to stand firm on this one, we can't let trump dictate our trade policies. its time for some real leadership from washington and not just empty threats 
The US and EU are walking on thin ice here... Trump's threat to annex Greenland is just plain weird and doesn't sit well with the rest of us 
EU-US trade tensions are heating up 
. But now, with Trump's threats, that's all about to change. The EU is set to impose retaliatory tariffs on €93 billion of US goods, which would be a massive hit to the US economy 
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. Meanwhile, China is already taking advantage of this distraction, and Russia is just watching from the sidelines 
. The EU needs to take action here, but at what cost? We need to see some real numbers on how many jobs will be lost or companies that will go under due to these tariffs 
.
Trump thinks he can just go around blackmailing EU countries and they'll roll over? That's insane! I mean, what's next? He's going to start making demands for Greenland based on some ridiculous claim about Russia? 
Newsflash Donald: if you want a trade deal with us, negotiate like a normal person, not try to strong-arm us with threats. And by the way, who does he think he is telling Denmark that they need to "deal with the Russian threat" like they're some kind of special forces operative? 
tariffs are one thing but this is just cold war vibes. what's next? 
is it even still relevant in today's world when we've got global powers like china and russia flexing their muscles? do we need to redefine what 'security' means for us, or are we just choosing not to face the reality of our own vulnerabilities?
. The EU is standing strong and not backing down, no matter how much pressure he puts on them.
and putting a lot at risk. The EU is trying to protect itself and Denmark, who's been threatened by Trump's comments. It's time for both sides to calm down and talk things out 
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. The EU needs to think about its own interests and not just follow Trump around like a sheep 
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. the idea that nato has been telling them for 20 years to deal with the russian threat is just a weak excuse 
. china and russia must be loving every minute of this drama 
. the eu needs to stand firm and not let the us bully them around 
.
. The EU needs to stand firm against what they see as a threat to their sovereignty 
. We should be focusing on finding solutions rather than getting bogged down in petty squabbles over trade agreements 
the EU needs to stand up for itself and not let trump walk all over them 
this is like, an existential crisis for the alliance and everyone needs to take it seriously 
probably, tbh 
. Can we please just get back to normal now? 
we need to focus on finding common ground and peaceful solutions 
and let's not forget about our core values of cooperation and mutual respect 
.
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. maybe we can find a way to resolve this without anyone getting hurt 
.