US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that Europe lacks the capacity to guarantee Greenland’s security, as the United States refuses to back down from its demand to take control of the strategically important island.
Speaking to NBC News, Bessent insisted that the US must secure Greenland, accusing Europe of being incapable of defending the territory against potential Russian or Chinese aggression.
“Europe projects weakness, the United States projects strength,” Bessent said. “The president believes that enhanced security is not possible unless Greenland becomes part of the United States.”
Former President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the US would impose 10% tariffs starting next month on eight European countries, including the United Kingdom, in retaliation for their opposition to Washington’s expansionist stance on Greenland. The move has angered transatlantic allies and triggered the deepest rift within NATO since its founding.
Bessent defended the tariffs imposed on France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, despite concerns that the measures could undermine recent trade agreements with the EU and the UK.
“The trade agreement is not finalized,” Bessent said, adding that emergency actions differ from standard trade deals. He emphasized that the measures should not undermine trust in the US and described Trump’s actions as “strategic.”
On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron called on the EU to activate its Anti-Coercion Instrument, a powerful trade defense mechanism adopted in 2023 but never previously used, allowing the EU to retaliate against economic coercion.
Despite mounting pressure on Denmark, a NATO member, to relinquish Greenland, Bessent said the US intends to remain within NATO, asserting that European leaders would ultimately rely on the US security umbrella.
The tariffs also faced rare criticism from Republican lawmakers. Senator Lisa Murkowski called them “unnecessary and punitive,” while Senator Thom Tillis described the policy as damaging to America, its businesses, and its allies. Congressman Don Bacon warned that an attempt to seize Greenland could end Trump’s presidency.
Danish and Greenlandic officials have intensified outreach to US lawmakers in recent weeks to strengthen bipartisan support, according to Financial Times. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen emphasized that while Trump is powerful, the US remains a democracy with checks and balances.
