UK looks to work its magic on Trump to defuse Greenland tariff threat

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for calm as tensions rise between Washington and its European allies after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on some countries if they block his bid to buy the Arctic region.

At a press conference on Monday, Starmer said Britain highly valued its long-standing special relationship with the US, but only Greenland and Denmark could decide the island’s future.

“The right way to approach an issue of this seriousness in Greenland is through a calm discussion between allies,” Starmer said at a press conference in Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s official residence. he said.

“But there is a principle here that cannot be set aside, because it underpins how stable and reliable international cooperation works, so any decisions regarding the future status of Greenland rest solely with the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.” he added.

Starmer spoke to Trump on Sunday night and said he was wrong to threaten to impose new tariffs on NATO allies if they did not accept his demands to “buy” Greenland.

The proposed tariffs will target Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland. The duties will be on top of existing export tariffs to the US, which currently stand at 10% for the UK and 15% for the EU.

Over the weekend, Starmer said Britain’s position on Greenland was clear but, like other European leaders, he tried to placate Trump by saying NATO allies needed to do more together to counter Russian threats in the Arctic.

“Our position on Greenland is very clear; it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for Greenlanders and Danes,” Starmer said in a statement released by the British government on Saturday. he said.

“Imposing tariffs on allies in order to ensure the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. Of course, we will pursue this directly with the US administration,” he added.

Trump claims that US ownership of Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, would make the world safer and deter Russian and Chinese activities on the Arctic island. While Moscow and Beijing reject his claims, European leaders insist that Greenland’s future is a matter for the island and Denmark.

European countries are reportedly considering retaliatory tariffs and broader economic countermeasures against the US, but the UK has traditionally stayed away from the threat of counter-tariffs.

Starmer again said on Monday that using tariffs to resolve such an issue was “completely wrong” and “not the right way to resolve differences within the alliance”. “A trade war is in no one’s interest,” he said.

Still, the Prime Minister is known to have a warm and friendly relationship with Trump, despite their political differences.

England It became the first country to strike a trade deal with Washington last year, thanks in large part to Trump’s apparent warmth towards the country. The US president reveled in pomp and pageantry during a state visit to Britain last fall.