Prime Minister Keir Starmer address the nation after US President Donald Trump said he would place a 10% tariff on eight European countries from 1 February, rising to 25% from 1 June, until a deal is reached for the US to purchase Greenland from Denmark.
In case you missed it, here’s what he said:
- Starmer called Trump’s tariff threats against European allies “completely wrong” and a “very serious situation” – adding that the threatened action is “not the right way to resolve differences”
- The prime minister said he didn’t think Trump would take military action in Greenland, and the dispute should be resolved through “calm discussion between allies”
- Asked if he is ruling out retaliatory tariffs, Starmer said a trade war was in “nobody’s interest”
- Starmer said that any decision about the future status of Greenland “belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone”
- Whilst criticising US tariffs, Starmer also reiterated that the UK and US are “close allies and close partners”, and their relationship mattered “profoundly”
- Asked whether the King’s state visit to the US should go ahead in April, Starmer says it’s important to “have a good relationship with the United States”
How did we get here?
Donald Trump already made eyes at Greenland back in 2019, during his first stint as US president. But tensions have ramped up considerably since the start of this year.
Here are the key events from this month:
3 January 2026: Katie Miller – the wife of one of Trump’s senior aides, Stephen Miller – posts on social media a map of Greenland in the colours of the American flag alongside the word “SOON”.
6-7 January 2026: The White House confirms Trump has been discussing “a range of options” to acquire Greenland, including use of the military, after European leaders issue a joint statement rallying behind Denmark.
14 January 2026: Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers meet with Trump’s team in the White House, but say a “fundamental disagreement” remains after the “frank” discussion.
15 January 2026: Troops and vessels from European Nato allies arrive in Greenland – including Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK.
17 January 2026: Trump announces new taxes on eight US allies – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK – to come into force from February, if they continue to oppose his proposed takeover of Greenland.
Listen: Greenlanders on Trump’s plan, and the trauma of colonisation
Donald Trump’s desire to annex Greenland has been met with a stern rebuke from many Greenlanders, especially within the island’s Inuit community.
BBC Europe editor Katya Adler has been speaking to Inuit women in the capital, Nuuk, about the territory’s history of colonisation and the trauma it has caused.
In the 1960s and 1970s, thousands of Inuit women – including girls as young as 12 – were fitted with contraceptive devices as part of a birth-control programme run by Danish doctors.
Last year, the Danish government issued a formal apology for the programme.
Now, on Trump’s latest proposal on Greenland, tattoo artist Ikimaliq Pikilak says: “I think it’s an unfair position to put our people in.”
“We get this choice whether we want to be Danish or American. We are asked to choose between two oppressors. From their perspective, there is simply no option for us to just be our own people.”
Denmark and Greenland ministers meet Nato chief as France holds urgent defence meeting
Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Greenland‘s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt are meeting today with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels.
The agenda includes “Nato co-operation on security, defence and deterrence” in the Arctic, according to a statement from the Danish Ministry of Defence.
Meanwhile in France, President Emmanuel Macron is holding an urgent defence council meeting today on Greenland, Syria and Iran, his office tells the BBC
‘We will not let ourselves be pressured,’ says Greenland premier
Greenland’s premier says the country will not be pressured, after Trump’s tariff threats over his bid to gain control of the territory.
In a post on Facebook, Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomes the support of other nations, calling it “a clear recognition that Greenland is a democratic society with the right to make its own decisions”.
He adds: “The latest statements from the US, including threats of tariffs, do not change that line. We will not let ourselves be pressured. We stand firm on dialogue, on respect and on international law.”
Nielsen attended a protest against the US president’s demand that the Arctic island be ceded to the US, calling for it to be allowed to determine its own future, in front of the US consulate in the capital of Greenland Nuuk at the weekend.
The increase in trade tensions has hit stock markets across Europe
The gold price has hit a record high this morning but share prices have fallen as investors react to Donald Trump’s threat to impose fresh tariffs
But the increase in trade tensions has hit stock markets across Europe. The UK’s FTSE 100 index has fallen 0.6%, Germany’s Dax index is down 1.5% while France’s Cac 40 is 1.6% lower.
Carmakers and luxury goods firms – two sectors that stand to lose out from new US tariffs – saw some of the biggest falls.
In Germany, shares in car companies BMW, Mercedes-Benz and VW were all down by about 3-4%, while in France luxury brands LVMH and Hermes were among the biggest losers.
However, European defence stocks rose, with Germany’s Rheinmetall and France’s Thales both trading higher.
Markets in the US are closed on Monday for a public holiday.
Analysis
If Europe does nothing, it risks looking weak – if it goes too far, it risks a trade war
Greenland’s prime minister says “we will not let ourselves be pressured”, as Donald Trump says he will impose tariffs on countries that oppose his plan to take over the island
Jens-Frederik Nielsen says Greenland has the right to makes its own decisions: “The latest statements from the US, including threats of tariffs, do not change that line”
Earlier, Keir Starmer said Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on the UK, and other countries, is “completely wrong”
While calling it a “very serious situation”, the UK PM also seemed to rule out retaliatory tariffs – saying a trade war is in nobody’s interest
Trump wants the “complete and total purchase” of the Danish territory, saying it’s essential for US and global security – with the White House saying it could even be taken militarily
Meanwhile, a message from Trump to the Norwegian prime minister has emerged, in which he reportedly says not being given the Nobel Peace Prize means he no longer has “an obligation to think purely of peace, although it will always be predominant”
For the past year, European leaders have been trying to manage, placate, and charm Donald Trump but something has now changed.
Some EU leaders are now openly accusing the US president of “blackmail” with his latest tariff threats over Greenland.
The dilemma Europe faces is that if it doesn’t do anything in response it risks looking weak and may well embolden the president in his desire to get Greenland.
If it goes too far, it risks a trade war with the US, its biggest trading partner.
President Macron of France wants the EU to fight back by deploying for the first time the EU’s so-called “trade bazooka” – a weapon originally designed to combat bullying by a hostile external country. They were thinking about China, not the US.
Here, the bazooka could mean counter-tariffs on the US, barring US products from the EU single market and banning American companies for bidding for lucrative contracts in the EU.
But Giorgia Meloni of Italy is among those leaders who fear this would cause considerable mutual damage and she argues a diplomatic solution must be found to clear up what she has tried to characterise as a “misunderstanding” over the US and EU’s respective positions on Greenland.
Whether or not there was any genuine confusion, the fundamental problem is that these positions are poles apart and completely incompatible with each other.
‘Weak’ or ‘level-headed’? What UK politicians think of Starmer’s Trump tactics
Politicians from across the political spectrum are reacting to Keir Starmer’s speech at Downing Street, and the UK government’s response to Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland.
- Conservative MP Jeremy Hunt says “I don’t agree with Keir Starmer on many things but I do support the level-headed approach he’s taking on Greenland”. He adds that “if the sovereignty of a Nato ally is not a red line what is?”
- “Weak, weak, weak. This appeasement must end,” says Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey. “Starmer should be uniting with our allies against Trump’s threats, not splitting off to suck up to him,” he says
- “We’re way past the point of giving pleading appeasement speeches”, says Leader of the Green Party Zack Polanski. He criticises Starmer’s signing of a defence deal with Palantir – a US technology company – “knowing full well how unpredictable and dangerous the US President is”
- Leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage says he plans to tell US government officials this week that “this is not how you treat your best friends”. Economic threats are “very, very hurtful to us”, he adds.
- Diane Abbott, who currently sits as an independent MP, says Starmer’s “pleading for special treatment from a political mobster is not working”, adding “Trump just sees weakness”
Norway doesn’t pick Nobel Prize winner, PM tells Trump
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has provided additional context to the message he received from Trump, that we reported on earlier.
In that message, Trump says he no longer feels “an obligation to think purely of Peace” after Norway “decided not to give” him the Nobel Peace Prize.
In a statement, Støre says Trump’s text was sent on Sunday afternoon in response to himself and Finnish President Alexander Stubb putting forward their opposition to tariff increases.
Støre says it was Trump’s decision to then share this message with other Nato leaders.
“Norway’s position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter,” the Norwegian PM writes in today’s statement.
He concludes: “As regards the Nobel Peace Prize, I have clearly explained, including to president Trump… the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee and not the Norwegian government.”
What’s the latest?
This morning has not been short of reaction to Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 10% tariff on eight European countries by 1 February – rising to 25% by 1 June – over opposition to his proposed Greenland takeover.
Here’s what we’ve heard this morning:
In the UK…
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer describes Trump’s tariff threats on Europe as “very serious” and “completely wrong” – you can read the key takeaways from his speech here
- That said, Starmer has reiterated the need for a “good relationship” with the US – despite calls from Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey for the King to cancel his US state visit and “stand up to Trump”
- Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick, whilst highlighting “serious concerns” about security in the Arctic, is urging the PM to oppose Trump’s “bully boy tactics”
- Our political correspondent Chris Mason questions if Starmer’s hopes for “calm discussion” can make a difference
Around the world…
- Trump says Denmark has “been unable to do anything” about the “Russian threat” to Greenland for 20 years – and that “now is the time” for it to be addressed
- Meanwhile, UN Chief António Guterres says the US believes in its power more than international law
- China urges the US to stop using “the so-called ‘China threat’“ to justify acquiring Greenland
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says Trump would make “not only United States history, but world history” if he annexed Greenland
- Meanwhile, Trump has written to the Norwegian prime minister, saying not being given the Nobel Peace Prize means he no longer has “an obligation to think purely of peace”
This afternoon, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to meet her Danish counterpart, and we’re yet to hear from Trump himself today. As always, we’ll bring you the latest updates and reaction.
Tariff threat is ‘inappropriate escalation’ – German industry body
Threats of tariffs by the US on several European countries are an “inappropriate escalation” that is harmful to all sides, according to Peter Leibinger, head of German industry association BDI.
He says it puts transatlantic relations under “enormous and completely unnecessary” pressure that has never before been seen.
“It is necessary and right for the German government, together with its European partners, to make it clear that it will not accept this threat,” he adds. “It is important that Europe now acts in a united and self-assured manner.”
Kremlin says Trump would ‘make history’ annexing Greenland
US President Trump would “make history” if the US annexed Greenland, says Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Without providing Moscow’s stance on the matter, Peskov says there are “international experts” who believe that the move will make “not only United States history, but world history”, he’s quoted by Interfax news agency.
Asked for his view on Trump’s statements that he wants to secure Greenland against the threat of Russia, Peskov declines to comment.
“In general, there has been a lot of concerning information coming in in recent days. We of course are very closely observing everything that is happening, analysing the developments. As regards our plans in relation to Denmark and Greenland, I will leave that without comment,” he adds.
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
