Trump flips his stance at will... “Why did we negotiate?” EU fumes [Lee Sang-eun’s Washington Now]

US President Donald Trump made clear his intention to take Greenland and warned he would impose tariffs on eight European countries that have sent troops to Greenland. He threatened to keep levying tariffs until the US fully takes possession of Greenland. It is too early to be definitive about whether tariffs will actually be imposed, as this could be a negotiating tactic. Still, as previously negotiated terms on tariffs with the European Union (EU) are rendered meaningless in an instant, doubts are growing over the validity of agreements reached with the Trump administration.

○ “Must be returned to the US”

In a post on social media on the 17th (local time), President Trump wrote that “Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland headed to Greenland without a clear purpose,” claiming that “this is a very dangerous situation for the safety and security, and survival of the planet.” He went on to say that “for world peace and security,” starting on the 1st of next month, he would impose a 10% tariff on all goods those eight countries export to the United States. He added that from June 1, the tariff would be raised to 25% and would remain in effect “until an agreement is reached on the full and total purchase of Greenland.”

In the same post, he said “world peace is at stake. China and Russia want Greenland, and Denmark can do nothing about it,” adding that “only the United States under President Donald Trump can enter this game and do it very successfully.” The logic is that the US must take the territory to counter China and Russia. The US has maintained five bases in the region since 1951 and can conduct almost all operations there. However, President Trump said that to build the space missile defense system known as the “Golden Dome,” the US must own the land. “Due to angle and boundary issues, this land must be included to achieve maximum potential and efficiency,” he said.

President Trump also argued that Denmark must “return” Greenland to the United States. “For many years, we have subsidized Denmark and all EU member states, and other countries, by not imposing tariffs or any other form of compensation,” he said, adding, “After several centuries, it is now time for Denmark to give it back.” He did, however, say the US is “ready to negotiate immediately,” signaling that the remarks were a hard-line posture aimed at negotiations.

○ EU talks at risk of being voided

It remains unclear whether the 10% Trump cited is an additional 10% on top of the existing 10% reciprocal tariff, or what happens to existing agreements. Even if the aim is to impose tariffs temporarily, there is no obvious way to do it. The UK has concluded a separate tariff agreement (tariff rate 10%), but the EU (15%) functions as a single market where goods move freely. Singling out goods from only seven of the countries and imposing additional tariffs would be procedurally complex and of limited effectiveness.

What is clear is that it is hard to expect any agreement reached with the Trump administration to be honored. Last year, the Trump administration concluded negotiations to lower the tariff rate on the EU to 15% on the condition that the EU invest $600 billion in the United States. But this episode has confirmed that all of it could be undone by a single remark from President Trump. On semiconductor tariffs as well, the Trump administration is talking about renegotiation as needed rather than keeping existing commitments. The European Parliament had initially planned to put the trade agreement with the US to a vote on the 26th–27th of this month, but with the Greenland dispute erupting, calls are emerging to withhold approval.

The Trump administration is not hiding its intention to apply a might-makes-right approach even to allies. Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, said in an appearance on Fox News that “in light of all legal understandings about territorial control that have existed for 500 years (during which Denmark governed Greenland), Denmark cannot control Greenland’s territory,” adding that it “wants us to defend, with 100% American money, land that is 25% larger than Alaska.” He said this is “an unfair deal for American taxpayers,” and that “NATO allies will support the United States on this issue.”

NATO is seething. French President Emmanuel Macron said, “We cannot tolerate tariff threats.” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also pushed back, calling it “completely wrong.” Over the weekend, large-scale protests condemning US actions broke out across Greenland and Denmark. As anti-American sentiment intensifies, slogans such as “Yankee go home” have also appeared.

Washington=Correspondent Lee Sang-eun selee@hankyung.com