BERLIN – On Sunday, Europeans were taken aback by U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration that eight nations would be subjected to a 10% tariff for opposing American claims over Greenland.

Reactions to Trump’s announcement on Saturday varied, with some warning of a “dangerous downward spiral,” while others speculated that “China and Russia must be enjoying the situation immensely.”

This move by Trump could potentially strain U.S. relations in Europe. Recently, several European countries have deployed troops to Greenland, citing Arctic security training as the reason. Trump’s statement coincided with a protest by thousands of Greenlanders outside the U.S. Consulate in Nuuk, the capital.

The President seemed to use these tariffs as a bargaining tool to initiate discussions with Denmark and other European nations about Greenland’s status. The territory, which is part of NATO ally Denmark, is seen by Trump as vital to U.S. national security. The proposed tariffs would impact Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland.

Questions immediately arose about the feasibility of implementing such tariffs, given that the EU functions as a single economic bloc, noted a European diplomat who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue. It remains uncertain how Trump might proceed under U.S. law, though he could potentially invoke emergency economic powers, which are currently being challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said China and Russia will benefit from the divisions between the U.S. and the Europe. She added in a post on social media: “If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity.”

Trump’s move also was panned domestically.

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, a former U.S. Navy pilot and Democrat who represents Arizona, posted that Trump’s threatened tariffs on U.S. allies would make Americans “pay more to try to get territory we don’t need.”

“Troops from European countries are arriving in Greenland to defend the territory from us. Let that sink in,” he wrote on social media. “The damage this President is doing to our reputation and our relationships is growing, making us less safe. If something doesn’t change we will be on our own with adversaries and enemies in every direction.”

‘Risk a dangerous downward spiral’

Norway and the U.K. are not part of the 27-member EU, which operates as a single economic zone in terms of trading. It was not immediately clear if Trump’s tariffs would impact the entire bloc. EU envoys scheduled emergency talks for Sunday evening to determine a potential response.

António Costa, president of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, pledged to continue their full solidarity with Denmark and Greenland.

“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” they wrote in a joint statement late Saturday.

The tariff announcement even drew blowback from Trump’s populist allies in Europe.

Jordan Bardella, president of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party in France and also a European Parliament lawmaker, posted that the EU should suspend last year’s tariff deal with the U.S., describing Trump’s threats as “commercial blackmail.”

Trump also achieved the rare feat of uniting Britain’s main political parties — including the hard-right Reform UK party — all of whom criticized the tariff threat.

“We don’t always agree with the U.S. government and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us,” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a longtime champion and ally of Trump, wrote on social media. He stopped short of criticizing Trump’s designs on Greenland.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who leads the center-left Labour Party, said the tariffs announcement was “completely wrong” and his government would “be pursuing this directly with the U.S. administration.”

The foreign ministers of Denmark and Norway are also expected to address the crisis Sunday in Oslo during a news conference.

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Leicester reported from Paris and Cook from Brussels. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London and Josh Boak in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.