NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Sunday he spoke with President Trump about the “security situation” in Greenland.
“Spoke with @POTUS regarding the security situation in Greenland and the Arctic. We will continue working on this, and I look forward to seeing him in Davos later this week,” Rutte wrote in a post on the social platform X.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on their talk.
On Saturday, Trump said he would impose a 10 percent tariff on Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom after the countries decided to send troops to Greenland’s capital of Nuuk for “Operation Arctic Endurance.”
Each of the NATO member nations deployed soldiers to solidify support for Greenland’s autonomy following the Trump administration’s intent to annex the Arctic island for “national security purposes.”
In response to their pushback, the president said the tax would go into effect Feb. 1 and increase to 25 percent on June 1 until “a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”
European leaders pushed back heavily on the trade measure in a joint statement, describing tariff threats as an effort to “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” according to CBS.
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The eight countries explained the “pre-coordinated Danish exercise ‘Arctic Endurance’ conducted with Allies, responds to this necessity. It poses no threat to anyone.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC News on Sunday that, “The European leaders will come around. And they will understand that they need to be under the U.S. security umbrella.”
