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President Donald Trump was asked in a phone call with NBC News on Monday whether he'd use force to take control of Greenland. In response, he said: "no comment."
Polling released by CBS News/YouGov on Sunday showed that 86 percent of U.S. adults oppose Trump using military force to take control of Greenland—including 70 percent of Republicans.
What To Know
- The Kremlin said Trump will "go down in history" if he acquires Greenland from Denmark in a dispute that has rocked the NATO alliance.
- Trump said he will impose a 10 percent tariff on February 1, which increases to 25 percent on June 1, on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland for their opposition to his push to acquire Greenland. The tariffs will remain until a deal for Greenland is completed, he said.
- The European Union is considering a package of tariffs worth up to 93 billion euros ($107 billion) in response to Trump's threat against some of its member states. The U.K. and Norway are not in the European Union. Starmer said the U.K. is not currently considering retaliatory tariffs against Trump.
- In a letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Trump reportedly said he "no longer feels an obligation to think purely of Peace" as he linked his pursuit of Greenland to not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump wrote: “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland."
- There were mass protests in Nuuk and Copenhagen at the weekend against Trump's push to secure the self-governing Arctic island, a Danish territory, for the U.S. Trump argues Greenland is vital to U.S. national security interests and that his country would do a better job of defending the Arctic region from there than Denmark.
- The rift among NATO allies over Greenland is a strategic win for Russia, which is openly celebrating the clash. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, originally in Russian, that it is "hard to disagree" with "international experts who believe that by resolving the issue of Greenland’s accession, Trump would undoubtedly go down in history."
- Several European NATO allies have sent troops to Greenland for military exercises under Denmark's Operation Arctic Endurance to show they are unified and serious about meeting the regional security threat from Russia and China that Trump has highlighted. They warned that Trump's tariff threat risks triggering a "downward spiral."
This live blog is now closed, but see continuing coverage here.
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Jan 19, 2026 at 10:04 PM EST
Tariff Tensions Over Greenland Rattle Investors
Global markets were rattled Tuesday after President Trump renewed his push to take control of Greenland by threatening additional tariffs—a move that revived fears of a broader trade rift with Europe. According to Reuters, the threat sent investors fleeing toward traditional safe‑haven assets like gold and the Swiss franc, echoing last year’s “Sell America” reaction to Trump’s earlier tariff campaign. European officials pushed back sharply, and analysts warned that even if tensions cool, Trump’s comments have raised new doubts about the credibility and stability of existing U.S.–Europe trade agreements.
Economists noted that the flare‑up increases uncertainty around future negotiations, with tariff risks likely to remain elevated. Markets responded swiftly: European equities were downgraded by Citi over renewed trade concerns, and strategists cautioned that Trump’s stance could undermine confidence in the 2026 earnings outlook. As global investors watched the fallout, attention shifted to Trump’s scheduled appearance at Davos, where his position on Greenland and U.S.–Europe trade relations loomed large ahead of meetings with world business leaders.
Jan 19, 2026 at 08:04 PM EST
Greenland Isn’t Changing Hands, Former Trump Adviser Says
Former Trump economic adviser Gary Cohn says the president’s escalating threats over Greenland won’t lead to a change in ownership, telling the BBC there is “uniform consensus” in Washington that “Greenland will stay Greenland.” Cohn — now IBM’s vice chair — warned that invading a NATO‑aligned territory would be “over the edge,” and suggested Trump’s rhetoric may be part of a negotiating tactic rather than a real bid for control. He noted that Greenland’s rare earth minerals and the growing military significance of the Arctic are what truly drive U.S. interest, adding that the island would likely welcome a larger American presence and could pursue an “offtake” agreement instead.
Cohn told the BBC the administration has “various different motives,” including countering Chinese and Russian influence in places like Venezuela. What’s clear, Cohn argued, is that the U.S. sees Greenland as a strategic asset, not a territory to conquer — and that Trump’s history of public overreach to secure leverage may again be at play.
Jan 19, 2026 at 07:21 PM EST
‘Make America Go Away’: Red Hats Trolling Trump From Copenhagen to Nuuk
Red baseball caps spoofing Donald Trump’s iconic MAGA hats have become an unlikely emblem of Danish and Greenlandic pushback against the president’s threats to seize Greenland. The bright red hats — reading “Make America Go Away” — have surged in popularity across Copenhagen protests and social media, offering a cheeky but pointed reminder that many Danes and Greenlanders want the United States to keep its distance. European governments have taken a stern diplomatic line in defense of Denmark and the Arctic region, but protesters prefer satire: flags snapping in the cold, signs declaring “No Means No,” and handmade jabs like “Make America Smart Again.”
The hat campaign began with Copenhagen vintage shop owner Jesper Rabe Tonnesen, whose first batches sold poorly until the Trump administration escalated its Greenland rhetoric. Suddenly, Tonnesen says, what once felt like a punchline “wasn’t reality TV — it was actually reality,” and demand exploded, selling out in a single weekend. He has now ordered thousands more, including an early design reading “Nu det NUUK!” — a pun swapping Greenland’s capital into a Danish phrase meaning “Now it’s enough.”
- Associated Press
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Jan 19, 2026 at 06:05 PM EST
Bernie Sanders Says Trump Behaving Like a ‘Spoiled Child’
Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, addressed a message directly to Republican lawmakers on Monday, saying that President Donald Trump's behavior surrounding Greenland is like a "spoiled child."
"My Republican colleagues must take notice: The U.S. cannot base foreign policy on whether or not a president gets a prize. This is pathetic. It is petty and dangerous narcissism— behavior we might expect from a spoiled child, not the leader of a democratic nation," the progressive senator wrote on X.
In a previous Sunday post, Sanders slammed Trump's threat to raise tariff on key NATO allies.
"Trump is raising tariffs on 8 NATO allies because they rightly support Denmark's sovereignty in Greenland. Destroying our closest alliances to take Greenland—which Denmark lets us use freely already—is insane. Congress must say NO," Sanders said.
Jan 19, 2026 at 05:30 PM EST
Greenland Is ‘Not for Sale,’ EU Leader Says
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola drew a standing ovation in the legislative body on Monday as she reiterated that Greenland is "not for sale."
She said that Europe “supports Denmark and the people of Greenland. We do so united in our resolve.”
“Greenland and Denmark have both made clear that Greenland is not for sale and their sovereignty and territorial integrity need to be respected. That fact will not change,” Metsola said. At the same time, she signaled the EU's openness to dialogue with the U.S.
“Europe will always be open to continue to discuss in a spirit of mutual respect,” she said.
In an X post, the EU leader also wrote: "United in our support for Denmark and the people of Greenland."
Jan 19, 2026 at 04:54 PM EST
US Deploying Aircraft to Military Base in Greenland
The U.S. military announced that aircraft "will soon arrive" at the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland.
"Along with aircraft operating from bases in the continental United States and Canada, they will support various long-planned NORAD activities, building on the enduring defense cooperation between the United States and Canada, as well as the Kingdom of Denmark," North American Aerospace Defense Command said in an X post.
"This activity has been coordinated with the Kingdom of Denmark, and all supporting forces operate with the requisite diplomatic clearances. The Government of Greenland is also informed of planned activities."
Jan 19, 2026 at 04:32 PM EST
EU President Demands US ‘Unequivocally Respect’ Greenland, Denmark
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers from Congress on Monday, telling them that the U.S. must "unequivocally respect" the sovereignty of Denmark and Greenland.
"I also addressed the need to unequivocally respect the sovereignty of Greenland and of the Kingdom of Denmark. This is of utmost importance to our transatlantic relationship," the European leader wrote on X.
"At the same time, the European Union remains ready to continue working closely with the United States, NATO, and other allies, in close cooperation with Denmark, to advance our shared security interests. We also discussed transatlantic trade and investment. They are a major asset for both the EU and US economies. Tariffs run counter to these shared interests," von der Leyen said.
Jan 19, 2026 at 03:40 PM EST
Denmark Wants NATO Surveillance Mission for Greenland
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told local television on Monday that Denmark is proposing a new NATO surveillance mission for Greenland.
We have proposed it, the secretary general has taken note of that, and I think we can now—we hope—define a framework on how that can be concretized," Poulsen said after holding a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
In an X post, Poulsen said "we are living in a difficult."
"Neither I nor my Greenlandic colleague Vivian Motzfeldt made any secret of that when we today in Brussels met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the EU’s High Representative Kaja Kallas," he wrote.
"Denmark has—in close cooperation with Greenland—already agreed on investments relevant to increased security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic amounting to DKK 88 billion ($13.7 billion)."
Jan 19, 2026 at 03:05 PM EST
Catholic Cardinals Sound Alarm on U.S. Foreign Policy
Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of Washington and Joseph Tobin of Newark issued a joint statement on Monday raising concerns about recent U.S. foreign policy moves, including towards Greenland.
"In 2026, the United States has entered into the most profound and searing debate about the moral foundation for America’s actions in the world since the end of the Cold War. The events in Venezuela, Ukraine and Greenland have raised basic questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace. The sovereign rights of nations to self-determination appear all too fragile in a world of ever greater conflagrations. The balancing of national interest with the common good is being framed within starkly polarized terms," the cardinals said in their joint statement.
"Our country’s moral role in confronting evil around the world, sustaining the right to life and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty are all under examination. And the building of just and sustainable peace, so crucial to humanity’s well-being now and in the future, is being reduced to partisan categories that encourage polarization and destructive policies."
The catholic leaders said they embrace a "vision for the establishment of a genuinely moral foreign policy for our nation."
"We renounce war as an instrument for narrow national interests and proclaim that military action must be seen only as a last resort in extreme situations, not a normal instrument of national policy. We seek a foreign policy that respects and advances the right to human life, religious liberty, and the enhancement of human dignity throughout the world, especially through economic assistance," they said.
Jan 19, 2026 at 02:31 PM EST
EU Official Says ‘We Will Hold Our Ground’ on Greenland
The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said the block "will hold our ground" as President Donald Trump continues to insist that Denmark cede Greenland to the U.S.
"Denmark and Greenland are not alone. Good to see my colleagues @troelslundp and Vivian Motzfeldt. Arctic security is a shared transatlantic interest, and one we can discuss with our US allies. But tariff threats are not the way to go about this. Sovereignty is not for trade," Kallas wrote on X.
"We have no interest to pick a fight, but we will hold our ground. Europe has a slate of tools to protect its interests," she said.
Jan 19, 2026 at 02:04 PM EST
NATO Secretary General Weighs In on Arctic Security
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte posted a photo from a meeting with Denmark's Deputy Prime Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt on Monday, saying on X that the they had discussed Arctic security.
"Just met w/ [Denmark's] @troelslundp & Greenland FM Vivian Motzfeldt. We discussed how important the Arctic - including Greenland - is to our collective security & how [Denmark] is stepping up investments in key capabilities. We’ll continue to work together as Allies on these important issues," Rutte, the former prime minister of the Netherlands, wrote.
Jan 19, 2026 at 01:28 PM EST
Greenland Politician Rebukes ‘Greedy’ Americans
Tillie Martinussen, a politician from Greenland's Cooperation Party, slammed the United States amid heightened tensions.
"See how greedy they are? Trying to shoot their friends, or invade their friends just for greed. And we know that there's minerals and oil possibly in are underground, and that's worth so much more than even than that. But even if we didn't have that, we would still not be bought," she said in an interview with Viory.
"Everyone here knows about the Inuit in Alaska and all of the native tribes, the American Indians, who are there. Their land was taken from them and they haven't been treated that well in America. And we know that Trump is very much surrounding himself at least with white power people. And we are not white, as you can see. We are of color and so we know our rights would probably be taken away," she said.
NBC News reported last week that the Trump administration could offer some $700 billion to purchase Greenland, with other estimates putting the price over $1 trillion. Greenland and Denmark have consistently rejected the idea of a purchase and a U.S. takeover.
Jan 19, 2026 at 12:30 PM EST
Greenland Dog Sledding Race Disinvites Trump Envoy
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican ally of President Donald Trump, was scheduled to attend a dog sledding race in Greenland but has been disinvited from the event amid tensions with the U.S.
The Greenland Dog Sledding Association said the tourism company that invited Landry had informed them that the Republican official would no longer be coming, saying the company had "unilaterally withdrawn its invitation.” The association described the development as "reassuring."
Last week, the association had criticized Landry’s invitation, saying it was “unacceptable that political pressure is being exerted from outside.” It described “the participation of foreign political actors” at the dog sled race as “wholly inappropriate.”
Jan 19, 2026 at 12:00 PM EST
Republicans Overwhelmingly Against Trump Using Military to Take Greenland
New polling released by CBS News/YouGov on Sunday shows that 70 percent of Republicans are against Trump utilizing military force to take control of Greenland. Among Democrats, that number is 97 percent, whereas it is 90 percent among independents. Overall, 86 percent of U.S. adults oppose military force against the U.S. ally.
When it comes to the possibility of Trump utilizing federal funds to purchase Greenland, Republicans are much more supportive, with 64 percent saying they'd approve of such a plan. However, most independents and Democrats remain staunchly opposed to the idea—75 percent and 96 percent respectively.
In total, 70 percent of U.S. adults oppose a plan to purchase the territory from Denmark. The survey included 2,523 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. The poll was conducted from January 14 to 16.
Jan 19, 2026 at 11:30 AM EST
Trump Declines to Rule Out Force to Take Greenland
President Donald Trump was asked in a phone call with NBC News on Monday whether he'd use force to take control of Greenland. In response, he said: "no comment."
He also reiterated his displeasure over not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, appearing to link that frustration to his position on Greenland.
“Norway totally controls it despite what they say,” he told NBC News. “They like to say they have nothing to do with it, but they have everything thing to do with it."
“Europe ought to focus on the war with Russia and Ukraine because, frankly, you see what that’s gotten them,” Trump said in the brief interview. “That’s what Europe should focus on — not Greenland.”
Jan 19, 2026 at 10:59 AM EST
France and Germany vow tough response to Trump tariffs
Finance ministers from France and Germany have pledged a tough response to any tariffs imposed by Donald Trump.
Speaking ahead of a Eurogroup meeting in Brussels, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said Europe must react "with confidence" if Trump were to make good on his threat of 10 percent tariffs on eight European countries, with the levy increasing to 25 percent in June.
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said Monday that the European Union must be ready to "react strongly"" as Europe's leaders weigh their responses to Trump's move.
However, Peter Mandelson, the former U.K. ambassador to the U.S., has said that European leaders should adopt the non-confrontational tone taken by UK prime minister Keir Starmer.
"This is not a moment for grandstanding," Mandelson told the BBC, "it’s a moment for taking the heat out of the situation."
Jan 19, 2026 at 10:07 AM EST
Denmark says it will increase military presence in Arctic
Danish defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen has announced that Copenhagen would work with Greenland and NATO to boost their military presence in the Arctic.
In a statement on Monday, Poulsen said “the security policy situation is constantly evolving, and tensions have spread to the Arctic.”
"The Danish and Greenlandic governments, together with a number of NATO allies, have decided to increase the military presence and exercise activity in the Arctic and the North Atlantic,” Poulsen said in the statement which did not mention the U.S. or President Donald Trump, whose push to acquire Greenland has heightened tensions.
“A number of allies are already contributing, and we are meeting broad support for NATO to do more in the Arctic.”
Greenland’s foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt in the same press statement that "Greenland is in an extraordinary situation that has the whole world's attention,” according to a translation, “the situation requires us to strengthen cooperation on defence and security in the Arctic broadly in the NATO circle.”
Poulsen and Motzfeldt will meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss NATO's cooperation on security, defence and deterrence in the Arctic.
Jan 19, 2026 at 09:42 AM EST
Germany could lose out most from Trump’s tariffs
With the U.S. its largest export market, Germany’s economy could be hit hardest by the tariffs President Donald Trump is threatening European countries with.
Germany exported $125bn worth goods in the first 10 months of last year, over twice that of U.K. or France, according to U.S. government data. Of the eight countries named by Trump at risk of tariffs, Finland ($6.8 billion) and Norway ($5.7 billion) trade the least with the U.S.
Germany is more reliant on the sale of physical goods such as cars to U.S. which are more vulnerable to tariffs than services like banking, like the sector the U.K. specializes in.
Sven Jari Stehn, an economist at Goldman Sachs, said, according to the Telegraph that a 10 percent tariff rate, as Trump has threatened, which would increase to 25 percent by June, could lower GDP in Germany by about 0.2 percent, and between 0.1 percent and 0.2 percent across the affected countries.
Peter Leibinger, the president of the Federation of German Industries lobby group, said according to the paper that the EU “has instruments at its disposal to ward off attempts at blackmail."
This refers to the EU considering whether to impose its own tariffs amid speculation that the EU was looking to hit the U.S. with levies worth €93bn ($107.71bn).
Jan 19, 2026 at 09:05 AM EST
Greenland premier says “we will not let ourselves be pressured”
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s prime minister, has issued a defiant message in response to President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, in which he said, “we will not let ourselves be pressured.”
Nielsen posted on Facebook that he welcomed the support of the international community opposing Trump’s move to acquire the island as a “clear recognition that Greenland is a democratic society with the right to make its own decisions".
“We stand firm on dialogue, respect and international law,” the post said, according to a translation.
On the weekend, Nielsen attended a protest outside the U.S. consulate in the capital Nuuk against Trump’s demand that the Arctic island be ceded to the U.S. Both Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly said that the island is not for sale.
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Jan 19, 2026 at 08:35 AM EST
Danish combat soldiers to arrive in Greenland
A large contingent of Danish soldiers will arrive in Greenland on Monday evening, Danish media have reported.
The group has been described as a “substantial contribution” to the military presence in the island which is part of the kingdom of Denmark, according to the local station TV 2.
The soldiers will contribute to the troop build-up of Danish soldiers that is currently taking place. Last week, troops from European countries, including France, Germany and the U.K. arrived in Greenland for military drills dubbed Arctic Endurance.
After the start of the drills, Trump announced that tariffs would be slapped on countries including those taking part.
The head of Denmark’s Arctic Command, Søren Andersen, told TV2 that around 100 Danish soldiers were already in Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital and others had arrived in Kangerlussuaq.
Jan 19, 2026 at 08:10 AM EST
China rejects Trump’s Greenland rationale
The Chinese government has hit out at the reasoning behind Donald Trump's desire to control Denmark's Arctic territory of Greenland, after the U.S. president again raised national security concerns related to Russia and China.
Trump has threatened Europe with a transatlantic economic war—trade tariffs as high as 25 percent—if his plan to buy Greenland sees no progress.
"China has stated its position on multiple occasions on Greenland. The international law underpinned by the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter is the foundation of the current international order and must be upheld," Guo Jiakun, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said on Monday.
"We urge the U.S. to stop using the so-called 'China threat' as a pretext for itself to seek selfish gains," Guo told a regular press briefing in Beijing.
China is not among the world's Arctic powers but considers itself a "near-Arctic" state, not least due to commercial opportunities presented by the melting sea ice in the high north.
Unlike Russia, China currently has no permanent military presence within the Arctic Circle, but its government research initiatives are increasingly active. Last year, Beijing sent a fleet of five icebreakers to study the Arctic Ocean, in movements closely watched by the U.S. Coast Guard at the time.
Last September, when the Arctic ice pack was at its smallest, the Chinese-operated cargo ship Istanbul Bridge became the first vessel to trial a new seasonal shipping route that cut delivery times from China to Europe down to
20 days, roughly half the time of the traditional shipping route via the Suez Canal.
Jan 19, 2026 at 07:49 AM EST
Danish officials boycott Davos over Trump spat
Danish government representatives will not attend the World Economic Forum in Davos this week as the dispute over Greenland intensifies, it has been reported.
Bloomberg cited a statement from the annual forum of political and economic leaders that it would not attend the event as the spat with Greenland escalated in which President Donald Trump threatened to levy a tariff on goods from eight NATO allies.
“Danish government representatives were invited this year, and any decisions on attendance are a matter for the government concerned,” the Forum said in the statement.
It comes as the German and French finance ministers said Europe would not be blackmailed and that there would be a united response to Trump’s threats.
"Germany and France agree—we will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed," German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said at his ministry, according to Reuters.
EU leaders will hold an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday and consider tariffs on 93 billion euros ($107.7 billion) of U.S. imports from February 6.
Jan 19, 2026 at 07:25 AM EST
Macron Threatens To Activate EU ‘Bazooka’
French President Emmanuel Macron will ask the EU to activate the bloc's so-called trade "bazooka" to fight back against Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
Macron’s office said that he would seek to impose the Anti-Coercion Instrument giving the EU trade measures that can be imposed against trade rivals that try to threaten the bloc.
These include restrictions on investment and access to public procurement schemes and limits on intellectual property protections. A major target could be American tech giants.
The leader of the liberal Renew group in the European Parliament Valerie Hayer, also called for the measures to be imposed. The EU threatened to use the weapon during difficult trade negotiations with Trump last year before a deal was struck.
It comes as the EU weighs up a response to Trump’s announcement of 10 percent tariffs on the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland, by 1 February which would rise to 25 percent on June 1.
On Monday, UK prime minister Keir Starmer appeared to rule out tit-for-tat tariffs on the U.S. saying that a trade war would not be in anybody’s interests. The U.K. is not in the EU.
Jan 19, 2026 at 06:44 AM EST
Trump “no longer feels an obligation to think purely of peace”
President Donald Trump has linked his pursuit of Greenland to missing out on the Nobel Peace, accusing Norway of snubbing him for the annual award.
In a letter to Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre that was confirmed by the premier, Trump said: "considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace."
Støre told Norwegian outlet VG that Trump’s letter first reported by PBS, was in reply to a short message he sent to Trump on behalf of himself and the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, calling for a deescalation of tensions over Greenland and a phone call.
Trump’s statement that he was no longer keen on playing peacemaker comes as he reiterates his push to acquire Greenland. The Norwegian government does not award the Nobel Peace Prize, rather it is chosen by the Norwegian-based Nobel committee.
Read more: Trump No Longer Feels ‘Obligation’ For Peace After Nobel Prize Snub
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Jan 19, 2026 at 06:10 AM EST
Trump not genuinely looking at military action in Greenland: UK PM
Also during the press conference on Monday. U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer rejected the idea that Donald Trump was looking at military action to acquire Greenland.
Trump has not ruled out military force in taking the island— a move that Denmark warned would spell the end of NATO. But Starmer said that he did not think this was a possibility, telling reporters Monday, “I think that this can be resolved, and should be resolved, through calm discussion.”
Starmer said that any decision about the future status of Greenland belongs to the island and Denmark and “that right is fundamental.”
Starmer also said he was determined to keep the U.K.-U.S. relationship “strong, constructive and focused on results”, and that defense and security ties were in the national interest.
Jan 19, 2026 at 05:36 AM EST
Russia says Trump’s tariff threat shows NATO divisions
Moscow has welcomed President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on NATO allies over Greenland, with top Kremlin aide Kirill Dmitriev, saying that it showed how "the transatlantic alliance is over."
Dmitriev is a key figure in negotiations with the U.S. over the war in Ukraine, and his sentiment is a sign that the Russian government thinks it could benefit from divisions within the alliance over Trump's tariff threat.
His view was also echoed by former Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, who posted on social media that the U.S. is "preparing to attack Greenland, choosing the island itself rather than some kind of Atlantic solidarity."
Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia's security council and a key Kremlin rottweiler against the West over the war in Ukraine, posted a mocking comment over Trump's threat, which said, "Make America Great Again (MAGA) = Make Denmark Small Again (MDSA) = Make Europe Poor Again (MEPA). Has this idea finally sunk in, dimwits?"
Read more: Russia celebrates NATO clash over Greenland
Jan 19, 2026 at 05:07 AM EST
Trump’s tariffs “completely wrong” says UK prime minister
UK prime minister Keir Starmer has reiterated his criticism of President Donald Trump’s announcement of 10 percent of tariffs on European countries over the status of Greenland but appeared to rule out retaliatory levies against the U.S.
In a press conference on Monday, Starmer said that Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on NATO allies over Greenland was “completely wrong.”
“It is not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance, nor is it helpful to frame efforts to strengthen Greenland security as a justification for economic pressure,” said Starmer.
However, he said that a reciprocal tariff threat was off the table, saying, “threatening tariffs on allies is the wrong thing to do. Completely wrong. A trade war is not in our interests.”
“Therefore, my first task is to ensure we don’t get to that place, which is what I’m focused on. “
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