Donald Trump admitted he may have received “bad information” regarding recent European troop deployments to Greenland which was in response to the US President’s repeated threats to annex the Danish territory, a media report said.
Trump’s admission reportedly came during a phone call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday, in which the latter criticised the President’s decision to impose new tariffs on European countries, including the UK, for their support of Greenland.
Speaking to CNN on Monday, a British official said the US had been informed in advance by Danish diplomats about the troop deployment.
Confirming this, a Danish source added that, in addition to the advance briefing, the deployment had been “pre-coordinated within existing European and US military structures.”
Despite this prior communication , Trump’s announcement to impose a 10 per cent tariff from February 1 on goods imported from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the UK prompted a swift and coordinated response from leaders of the 27-member bloc, highlighting rising transatlantic tensions.
According to four European diplomats, sending Danish and Nato troops to Greenland for joint exercises may have backfired, triggering Trump’s tariff threat, CNN reported.
Instead of simply boosting Nato’s presence, the deployments demonstrated to Trump that Danish-led operations could strengthen Arctic security.
EUROPEAN TROOP DEPLOYMENT IN GREENLAND
In the past one week, European countries have been sending small numbers of military personnel to Greenland amid the ongoing tensions.
Denmark currently has around 150 military and civilian personnel stationed at its Joint Arctic Command. Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the Netherlands are sending staff to prepare for larger drills later this year.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said about 200 US troops are already in Greenland, which has a population of roughly 57,000. While the full scale of the European military build-up has not been disclosed, initial deployments remain small.
Germany is sending a 13-member reconnaissance team via Copenhagen, accompanied by Danish personnel. Sweden is sending three officers, Norway two, France around 15 mountain specialists, and the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland each sending one or two personnel.
EUROPE’S TRADE BAZOOKA
In the wake of Trump’s threats, the European Union (EU) is considering the use of its most powerful “trade bazooka,” the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), designed to strengthen the bloc’s ability to defend its interests against economic pressure from non-EU nations.
Under the ACI, the EU could impose counter-tariffs, restrict American access to the European Single Market, and block US companies from bidding on lucrative EU contracts.
Meanwhile, EU leaders are scheduled to meet in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the ACI and other measures to retaliate against the US, including a potential tariff package on 93 billion euros of American imports, which could automatically take effect on February 6 after a six-month suspension.
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