U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he is backing down on his threat to levy new tariffs against European countries over opposition to his effort for the U.S. to acquire Greenland.
"Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region," Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social platform. "This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations. Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st."
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It follows Trump’s announcement Saturday that starting Feb. 1, U.S. imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom will face a 10% tariff. The rate was then slated to increase to 25% on June 1.
Trump directly linked the tariffs to European opposition to Washington’s proposal to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark that largely governs itself.
The president has repeatedly argued that the U.S. needs Greenland for strategic and national security reasons amid increasing Chinese and Russian activity in the Arctic. European leaders, along with Greenland officials, have consistently rejected the proposal, affirming the territory’s sovereignty.
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