Keir Starmer has told Donald Trump he is wrong to threaten tariffs against Nato allies to try to secure Greenland, as part of a flurry of diplomatic calls intended to tackle the crisis.
The UK prime minister spoke to the US president on Sunday, as well as to Mette Frederiksen, the Danish PM, whose country’s territory includes Greenland, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general.
“In all his calls, the prime minister reiterated his position on Greenland. He said that security in the high north is a priority for all Nato allies in order to protect Euro-Atlantic interests,” a Downing Street summary of the calls said. “He also said that applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is wrong.”
The firm stance could place Starmer on a collision course with the US after Trump said he would place sanctions on eight European nations, including the UK, that have deployed troops to Greenland in response to US threats over its future.
A joint statement by the affected countries on Sunday said Trump’s threats “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral”.
More details soon …