Washington: Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski on Saturday criticised President Trump’s new 10 percent tariffs on Denmark and other European allies, warning that the measures could harm the US and strain NATO if the president attempts to seize Greenland by force.
“This retaliation against our allies for sending a small number of troops to Greenland for training is harmful to America, to US businesses, and to our allies,” Tillis wrote on X. “It benefits adversaries like Putin and Xi Jinping, who want to see NATO divided.”
Tillis added, “The fact that a few ‘advisors’ are advocating coercive action to take the territory of an ally is reckless. It undermines President Trump’s legacy and the progress he has made in strengthening NATO over the years.”
Murkowski described the tariffs as “unnecessary, punitive, and a serious mistake.”
“They risk alienating our key European allies while doing nothing to enhance U.S. national security,” she wrote on X. “We are already seeing the impact, NATO partners are forced to divert attention and resources to Greenland, a situation that plays directly into Putin’s hands and threatens the stability of the strongest coalition of democracies the world has ever known.”
She called on Congress to exercise its authority over tariffs to prevent them from being “weaponized in ways that harm our alliances and weaken US leadership.”
Tillis, Murkowski, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate NATO Observer Group, recently visited Copenhagen as part of a congressional delegation.
They expressed support for Denmark and Greenland following President Trump’s threats regarding the Arctic island.
The 11-member delegation met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen, among others. Their visit followed a Washington meeting where Denmark and the U.S. acknowledged a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.
The White House on Thursday reiterated that President Trump is interested in acquiring Greenland, citing national security concerns and the need to prevent Russian or Chinese influence.
Speaking to reporters, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The President has been clear: he wants the United States to acquire Greenland because he believes it is vital for our national security.”
The comments came after direct talks between U.S., Danish, and Greenlandic officials regarding Trump’s stated ambitions. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said discussions in Washington with Greenlandic officials, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio ended without resolving key differences. “A fundamental disagreement remains,” he said, noting that while the outcome was expected, Denmark was unable to shift the American position.
UNI
