Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, responding to US President Donald Trump’s threat of import tariffs, indicated that Europe will not succumb to blackmail, writes the BBC.
Frederiksen and other European leaders issued a joint statement on the 19th of January, in which they said that the US action endangers its relations with international cooperation partners.
Trump announced early on the 19th of January that NATO had been reminding Denmark for 20 years to eliminate the threat posed by Russia to Greenland, and now the time has come to do so. The US president has said that he will apply new import tariffs to allies from February if they do not agree to the Americans taking over the administration of the island.
Trump insists that Greenland is critical to US security and has not ruled out taking it by force, a statement that has drawn widespread criticism. The American, in turn, criticized Denmark for failing to address security threats.
The new tariffs could apply equally to Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and great britain.
Representatives of these countries have stated that the new tariffs threaten transatlantic relations, and have repeatedly stressed their solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland. The statement states that the countries are committed to strengthening security in the Arctic as NATO members, and are ready for a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial indivisibility.
Frederiksen wrote on the Facebook that Denmark wants to cooperate and does not seek conflict, and she is glad that the rest of Europe is making it clear that it cannot be blackmailed.
Trump has threatened to impose a 10% tariff on European countries starting on the 1st of February, which could later increase to 25% and will remain in effect until an agreement is reached. European countries, according to Trump, are playing a very dangerous game that threatens the security, defense, and survival of the entire planet.
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