BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders have expressed serious concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump's aggressive stance regarding potential tariffs on countries that oppose American control of Greenland. Descriptors like “intimidation,” “threats,” and “blackmail” have punctuated the political discourse as the implications of Trump's actions signal a deterioration in the long-standing transatlantic relationship.
Since Trump returned to the White House, the rhetoric from Europe has become significantly more confrontational. This shift comes in response to the unprecedented notion of a NATO ally threatening to annex Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. If Trump follows through with his tariff threats, Europe anticipates retaliatory trade measures.
The erosion of European confidence in the U.S. commitment to NATO and the transatlantic alliance has reached alarming levels. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that if Trump attempts an annexation of Greenland, it could jeopardize NATO's operational integrity, stating emphatically, "then everything stops … including our NATO."
According to Maria Martisiute, an analyst at the European Policy Centre, we are at the “very early stage of a rather deep political-military crisis,” amidst a growing consensus that America has fundamentally abandoned NATO. This disillusionment stems from memories of Trump's first term, during which he reportedly brought NATO to the brink of collapse, as cited by former Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in his memoirs.
As this crisis unfolded, European leaders were already apprehensively awaiting Trump's strategy for Ukraine, as the ongoing conflict began its fourth year. European powers feared that a decisive Russian victory could pose an existential threat to their respective nations, particularly as the U.S. under Trump appeared to shift its focus away from European security concerns.
In February 2025, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a critical message to both European allies and Canada, indicating that the U.S. had “priorities elsewhere” and urging Europe to step up and manage its own security affairs. He conveyed that Ukraine would not be joining NATO and that U.S. support might not be guaranteed should Europe engage directly with Russia.
Days later, Vice President JD Vance, during a campaign in Germany, emphasized that Europe’s most significant threat was internal, diverting attention from the looming Russian aggression. But European leaders, like newly-elected Chancellor Friedrich Merz, voiced the urgent need for enhanced defense capabilities in light of the escalating threat landscape.
Over the course of the past year, European leaders, alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, made numerous attempts to engage Trump and maintain U.S. support for Ukraine. Nevertheless, Trump's proposed 28-point peace plan showed a willingness to concede to several Russian demands, leading to further frustration among Europeans who feel abandoned.
In response to these challenges, European nations mobilized efforts to bolster their own defense mechanisms. The EU established a multibillion-euro fund aimed at acquiring arms primarily from European manufacturers, reducing reliance on U.S. defense supplies. Strikingly, initiatives included smoothing debt rules to facilitate security spending and committing substantial resources to support Ukraine amidst its struggles.
A more recent U.S. national security strategy has further exacerbated tensions, characterizing European allies as weak while appearing to support far-right factions within Europe. European Council President Antonio Costa cautioned against U.S. interference in European matters, urging for greater autonomy from American influence.
In a significant move, France, Germany, the U.K., Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands dispatched troops to Greenland, signifying a united European front in defense of its allies. French President Emmanuel Macron insists on the importance of supporting sovereign states amidst an unpredictable geopolitical landscape. Amid these developments, Macron noted, “Europe is being shaken from some of its certainties.”
