Costa convenes extraordinary EU summit on Greenland
European leaders will soon gather for an extraordinary meeting of the European Council in connection with tensions surrounding Greenland.
European Council President Antonio Costa stated this, according to an Ukrinform correspondent citing his press service.
Costa said, "Given the significance of recent developments and in order to further coordinate, I have decided to convene an extraordinary meeting of the European Council in the coming days."
He added that the results of consultations with member states regarding the "latest tensions" around Greenland confirm the EU's firm commitment to the following elements:
Unity on the principles of international law, territorial integrity and national sovereignty;
Unity in support of and solidarity with Denmark and Greenland;
Recognition of the shared transatlantic interest in peace and security in the Arctic, notably working through NATO;
Shared assessment that tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and are incompatible with the EU-US trade agreement;
Readiness to defend ourselves against any form of coercion;
Readiness to continue engaging constructively with the US on all issues of common interest.
As Ukrinform reported, US President Donald Trump announced the introduction of tariffs from February 1 against Denmark, the United Kingdom, Norway, France, Germany, Finland, and the Netherlands if they oppose America's acquisition of Greenland. Trump claims that Greenland is vital to US security because of its strategic location and mineral resources, and he does not rule out the use of force to control it. This has caused concern in Europe over the prospect of direct confrontation between NATO member states.
Earlier, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other European countries, at Denmark's request, sent small groups of military personnel to Greenland. This prompted Donald Trump to announce new tariffs against eight of his European allies in an attempt to force them to "agree" to his plans to control Greenland.
Today, ambassadors of the 27 EU countries are expected to discuss the bloc's joint response to this. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reported that he had spoken with Trump regarding the situation around Greenland and noted that he is expecting to meet with him in Davos.
According to opinion polls, only 17% of Americans support Trump's efforts to acquire Greenland, while an overwhelming majority of both Democrats and Republicans oppose the use of military force for this purpose. In Greenland, officials expressed gratitude to European countries for supporting the island's sovereignty amid threats by US President Donald Trump to impose trade tariffs on certain countries.