Jamieson Greer Urges EU To Separate Greenland Row From Trade Talks Amid Trump Tariff Threats: 'If They Want To Make It An Issue...'

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the European Union should decide whether to keep the Greenland tariff dispute separate from the broader U.S.-EU trade agreement as President Donald Trump threatens new tariffs on several European allies. EU Faces Trump Tariff Threat Over Greenland Dispute On Saturday, Greer, speaking to reporters at the Detroit Auto Show, said the EU has the option to "silo" the Greenland issue away from the trade deal and avoid dragging the agreement into a broader political confrontation, reported Reuters. "If I were the Europeans, I would probably try to silo this off if they can," Greer said. "If they want to make it an issue in the trade deal, that's really up to them and not us." Trump Vows New Tariffs On Denmark, Germany, France Trump announced new tariff threats aimed at Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Great Britain after they opposed his proposal to buy Greenland. The president said additional 10% import tariffs would take effect Feb. 1 and rise to 25% on June 1 if no resolution is reached. Greer described the potential new tariffs as "largely national security determinations," but acknowledged that any tariff action requires U.S. trade officials to be involved. "Whenever there's a tariff involved, we're involved, and we want to make sure that we're equipping the president to be able to take whatever steps he makes," he said. Trump's Greenland Tariffs Threaten NATO Unity, EU Trade Deal On Saturday, Republican senators criticized President Trump's new tariffs on Denmark and other European allies, calling the move a harmful escalation that could weaken NATO and benefit rivals like Russia and China. Sen. Thom Tillis said the tariffs were a "bad" response to a Greenland training exercise, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski urged Congress to stop tariffs from being used as political weapons. European lawmakers also reacted strongly, signaling they would halt approval of a key EU-U.S. trade deal after Trump threatened tariffs on countries supporting Greenland. The European People's Party said it could no longer support the agreement, and EU leaders warned the threats could damage transatlantic relations and strengthen adversaries. Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo courtesy: Shutterstock