EU Warns of a ‘Dangerous Downward Spiral’ After Trump Threatens Tariffs Over Greenland

European Union officials on Saturday sounded the alarm over what they described as a “dangerous downward spiral” in transatlantic relations after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose escalating tariffs on European allies unless Washington is allowed to purchase Greenland.

In coordinated public statements, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the use of tariffs as leverage would severely damage economic stability and long-standing alliances between Europe and the United States.

“Tariffs would risk triggering a dangerous downward spiral and would seriously undermine transatlantic relations,” the two leaders wrote on X, emphasizing that the European Union remains united, coordinated, and firmly committed to defending its sovereignty.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas echoed those concerns, cautioning that punitive trade measures would weaken economic growth on both sides of the Atlantic while diverting attention from what she described as the bloc’s primary strategic objective: ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“china and Russia must be having a field day,” Kallas wrote in a post on X. “Divisions among allies benefit them.”

She further stressed that economic confrontation would only harm shared prosperity. “Tariffs risk making both Europe and the United States poorer. If Greenland’s security is genuinely at risk, this can and should be addressed within NATO,” she added.

In response to the escalating rhetoric, ambassadors from all 27 European Union member states are scheduled to meet urgently on Sunday to assess the situation and coordinate a collective response to Washington’s tariff threats.

The dispute intensified on Saturday when Trump escalated his long-running confrontation over the future of Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. The US president vowed to impose a fresh wave of higher import duties on European nations until the United States is permitted to purchase the Arctic island.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump announced that goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and the United Kingdom would face additional 10 percent import tariffs beginning February 1. Many of these countries had already been affected by previous tariff measures imposed during Trump’s presidency.

According to Trump’s statement, the duties would rise sharply to 25 percent on June 1 and remain in force until an agreement is reached allowing the United States to acquire Greenland.

Trump has repeatedly argued that US control over Greenland is essential for national and strategic security, citing the island’s Arctic location and growing global competition in the region. However, both Danish and Greenlandic leaders have consistently rejected the idea, firmly stating that the island is not for sale and has no intention of becoming part of the United States.

European officials fear that continued escalation could severely strain NATO unity and undermine cooperation at a time when Western allies are already under pressure to maintain a unified front against geopolitical challenges posed by Russia and China.

With emergency diplomatic consultations now underway, EU leaders are signaling that while they remain open to dialogue, they are equally prepared to defend European economic and political interests against what they view as coercive trade tactics.