On January 19, The Washington Post published an analysis of the geopolitical impact of President Donald Trump's plan to control Greenland. The newspaper commented that this move is causing irreparable damage to relations between the US and European allies.
The article assesses a dual strategy including the request for territorial transfer and the launch of a trade war that sparked the biggest crisis in many generations in the West. According to analysis, Mr. Trump's determination is creating a deep gap in the alliance bloc.
Observers believe that this is not simply a diplomatic disagreement but a sign of a breakdown in the international security structure. Tensions were concretized after US President Donald Trump's announcement on the social network Truth Social about the roadmap for imposing sanctions.
The US announced a 10% import tax on goods from 8 allied countries including: Britain, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, France and Sweden. The decree takes effect from February 1 and remains indefinitely until an agreement is reached to transfer all sovereignty over Greenland to the US.
The US President also issued an ultimatum on the timeline. He warned that if the parties do not meet the requirements, the tax rate will increase to 25% starting from June 1.
Regarding strategic motives, Mr. Trump argues that owning Greenland is an urgent requirement for US national security. The US President affirmed that island control is a prerequisite for effectively deploying the "Golden Dome" missile defense system.
The US side believes that Greenland's geographical location plays a key role in the operation of this missile shield. Mr. Trump also criticized the European plan to deploy military forces to this region as a dangerous act.
From an international legal perspective, Greenland is currently an autonomous territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark. Defense relations between the two sides are regulated by the Greenland Defense Agreement signed in 1951 and commitments within the framework of NATO.
According to the treaty, the US has the responsibility and authority to protect the island from military threats. However, analysts point out that the current request for territorial annexation and change of sovereignty of the US is completely outside the scope of traditional defense cooperation agreements that have existed for more than 70 years.
