France’s agriculture minister says US farmers and industrialists will suffer if Trump imposes tariffs over Greenland purchase plan, calling any takeover “unacceptable”.
PARIS: The United States will suffer if President Donald Trump imposes threatened tariffs on European countries opposing his plans to acquire Greenland, a French minister said.
French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard (pic) told broadcasters that Trump “has a lot to lose as well, as do his own farmers and industrialists” in any tariff escalation.
Trump has threatened a 10% tariff from February 1 on all goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland.
The levy would rise to 25% on June 1 until a deal is reached for the “complete and total purchase of Greenland”.
Trump claims the United States needs the Arctic island, an autonomous Danish territory, for national security.
An extraordinary meeting of EU ambassadors has been called in Brussels.
“The European Union has potential strike force” from a commercial standpoint, Genevard said.
She warned the response must be handled with caution as the escalation “could be deadly — but it could also be deadly for the United States”.
Any US takeover of Greenland would be “unacceptable”, the minister added.
“It is clear that the Europeans will not let the United States do as it pleases.”
