Emergency summit of EU leaders called on response to Trump’s Greenland ambitions – The Irish Times

Main PointsEmergency summit of European Union leaders called later this week to figure out response to US president Donald Trump’s ambitions to take over Greenland and hit allies with fresh tariffs.Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 countries are convening for an emergency meeting over Trump’s Greenland-related threats on tariffs.The governments of the eight European countries threatened with US tariffs have criticised comments coming from Washington as a breach in Europe-US relations and warned of a “downward spiral”.Key Reads

Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 countries are convening for an emergency meeting after US president Donald Trump vowed a wave of increasing tariffs on European allies until the US is allowed to buy Greenland.

Cyprus, which holds the six-month rotating EU presidency, said late on Saturday that it had called the meeting, which EU diplomats said was set to start at 4pm GMT.

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Jade Wilson – 4 hours ago

Jade Wilson – 4 hours ago

European countries have jointly hit back at US president Donald Trump’s threatened new trade tariffs, warning the escalating dispute over Greenland risks heading into a “dangerous downward spiral”, our Europe Correspondent, Jack Power, writes.

The near unprecedented schism in transatlantic relations, caused by Mr Trump issuing fresh threats of steep tariffs on European allies if Greenland is not sold to the US, has prompted a diplomatic scramble by European capitals in the crosshairs.

In a joint statement, the governments of France, Germany, the UK, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, criticised the comments coming from Washington as a breach in Europe-US relations.

“Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. We will continue to stand united and co-ordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty,” the statement said.

The involvement of troops from several European countries in a Danish military exercise in the Arctic was “pre-coordinated” and posed no threat to anyone, the governments said.

The European countries reaffirmed they would stand firmly behind the principles of “sovereignty and territorial integrity” in the Greenland dispute.

“We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland,” the statement said.