European Union (EU) leaders will convene at an extraordinary summit on Thursday, January 22, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose additional tariffs on countries that support Greenland.
A written statement was issued by the Spokesperson of the EU Council Presidency regarding the extraordinary summit.
The statement said: “EU Council President António Costa will host a special EU Leaders’ Summit at 19:00 on January 22 to discuss transatlantic relations.”
EU Council President Costa had previously announced that the leaders of EU member states would meet in the coming days in an extraordinary session to address the issue of Greenland.
Trump’s Greenland Threat
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that his country “needs Greenland for national security purposes” and that it is “vital for the construction of the Golden Dome.”
After a meeting in Washington between the foreign ministers of the United States, Denmark, and Greenland, it was reported that fundamental disagreements persisted and that the United States’ “desire to seize Greenland was clear.”
Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, had previously rejected U.S. approaches that included the transfer of sovereignty.
Denmark has recently called for increasing military cooperation in the region together with its allies. In this context, European countries announced that they would send small military units and officers to Greenland.
In response, Trump argued that world peace was at risk in the Greenland dispute and announced that he would impose tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland for opposing the U.S. acquisition of Greenland.
Trump stated that a 10 percent tariff would be applied to these eight European countries starting on February 1, 2026, and that after June 1, 2026, the tariff rate would be increased to 25 percent. He added that the rate would remain in place until an agreement is reached on the complete and unconditional purchase of Greenland.