Starmer Pushes Back Against Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’

The British prime minister said his country “must stand up for its values” after President Trump threatened a new tariff war over acquiring the island.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to the media at Downing Street, London on Monday.Credit...Pool photo by Jordan PettittJan. 19, 2026, 5:31 a.m. ETThe future of Greenland must be decided by Greenlanders and the people of Denmark, the British prime minister Keir Starmer said on Monday, saying that his country must “stand up for its values” over President Trump’s most recent tariff threats. Mr. Trump on Saturday demanded a deal to buy Greenland, threatening on social media to raise tariffs on several European nations over the issue. Those tariffs would start with 10 percent in February, then ramp up to 25 percent in June.In a news conference in London on Monday morning, Mr. Starmer said that the United States remained a close ally of Britain but added, “We must stand up for our values.”Mr. Starmer said a tariff war between the U.S. and European nations over Greenland was “not in anybody’s interests” and would affect businesses, workers and families on both sides of the Atlantic.“Alliances endure because they’re built on respect and partnership, not pressure,” he said. “That is why I said the use of tariffs against allies is completely wrong.”“There is a principle here that cannot be set aside, because it goes to the heart of how stable and trusted international cooperation works, and so any decision about the future status of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and the kingdom of Denmark alone,” he said.“That right is fundamental, and we support it.”Mr. Starmer spoke with Mr. Trump in a phone call on Sunday afternoon. A British government spokesman said that Mr. Starmer stated his views on the possible tariffs and said that nations who sent military personnel to Greenland were “pursuing the collective security of NATO allies.”Britain sent a military officer to Greenland last week as part of a mission involving small numbers of troops from France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the Netherlands, which Mr. Starmer said was to “assess and work on the risk from the Russians.”The threats made by Mr. Trump have been condemned across the British political spectrum and drew rare criticism from Mr. Trump’s ally, Nigel Farage, who leads the right-wing populist Reform U.K. party.Several NATO allies, including Britain, France and Germany, released a forceful joint statement with Denmark on Sunday that decried the tariff threats, saying that they “undermine trans-Atlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”But Mr. Starmer appeared on Monday to rule out the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on American goods, which are being considered by the European Union. “We have not got to that stage, and my focus is making sure we don’t get to that stage,” he said.Mr. Starmer said he would continue dialogue with Mr. Trump and expected to speak to him “in coming days.” He added, “We must find a pragmatic, sensible, sustained way through this that avoids some of the consequences that will be very serious.”SKIP