U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose new tariffs on countries that oppose his stated ambition to annex Greenland, a self-governing territory under Danish control.

Speaking at a White House meeting on rural healthcare on Friday, Trump said he “may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland,” arguing that the territory is essential for U.S. national security. He did not specify which countries could face tariffs or what legal authority he would use to impose them.

Trump has repeatedly claimed Greenland is strategically vital because of its Arctic location, which he says is crucial for missile early-warning systems and monitoring regional activity. The U.S. already maintains a military presence at the Pituffik Space Base in north-western Greenland, where more than 100 personnel are stationed under long-standing agreements with Denmark.

However, Trump has insisted that the United States needs to “own” Greenland to defend it properly, suggesting the island could be acquired “the easy way” or “the hard way,” remarks widely interpreted as referring to purchase or force.

Denmark and Greenland have firmly rejected any takeover, warning that military action would undermine NATO, which is based on collective defence among allies. European partners have rallied behind Denmark, stressing that Arctic security should remain a shared NATO responsibility. Several countries, including France, Germany, the UK and Nordic states, have recently sent small reconnaissance forces to Greenland.

As Trump made his remarks, a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation was visiting Greenland to show support for the territory. The group, which included both Democrats and moderate Republicans, met Greenlandic lawmakers as well as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen. Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who led the delegation, said the visit aimed to listen to local concerns and “lower the temperature.”

Greenlandic MP Aaja Chemnitz said the meetings had made her hopeful, adding that international support was vital amid continued pressure from Washington.

Despite resistance abroad and scepticism within the U.S., Trump has remained undeterred. His envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, said Washington should negotiate directly with Greenland’s leaders and expressed confidence that a deal could eventually be reached.

Danish officials, while saying that a U.S. military takeover was not discussed in recent White House talks, acknowledged they were taking Trump’s statements seriously. “Our working hypothesis is that on this issue, what he says is what he means,” one official said.

Source: BBC | Agencies