Russian economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev declared on social network service X that “the Atlantic alliance is over” and mocked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for “not provoking her father (Trump).
“Take back the 13 soldiers sent to Greenland,” he said sarcastically, “and (President Trump) said the U.S. could raise tariffs by 1% per European soldier sent to Greenland.”
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also said, “The U.S. is preparing to attack Greenland by choosing the island of Greenland itself, not the Atlantic alliance,” adding, “European countries will be punished for tariffs in return for relying on U.S. protection.”
Medvedev had previously mocked the unity of the West and urged Trump to quickly annex Greenland.
The conflict began when President Trump explicitly expressed his intention to purchase Greenland, Denmark’s autonomous territory.
In response, when eight European countries, including Denmark, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, sent small troops in support of Greenland, President Trump predicted a tariff bomb toward these eight countries.
Specifically, he threatened to impose a 10% tariff from February 1 and raise the tariff rate to 25% if a deal to sell Greenland is not reached by June 1.
European allies immediately issued a joint statement and strongly protested. They declared solidarity with Denmark, warning that President Trump’s threat could “damage Atlantic relations and lead to a dangerous downward spiral.”
Cyprus, the chair of the EU circuit, convened an emergency ambassador-level meeting on the 18th and is reportedly considering retaliatory tariff cards for up to 93 billion euros worth of U.S. products, which were shelved in the face of tariff conflicts last year.
Greenland is an island with a population of about 56,000 people and has functioned as a key point in North America’s defense since the Cold War on the maritime gateway connecting the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.
The United States already operates a P2PIC space base here under a 1951 agreement with Denmark, carrying out missile defense and space surveillance missions.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the EU to invoke an ‘anti-coercion instrument’. It is a tool designed to respond if a third country tries to interfere with sovereign policy decisions of the EU or member states with economic threats.
Anti-coercion measures include strong countermeasures such as blocking access to the EU single market, restricting foreign direct investment, excluding public procurement, and stopping intellectual property protection, and have never been invoked since its introduction in 2023.
SAM KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
