BERLIN (AP) — On Sunday, Europeans were taken aback by U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration imposing a 10% tariff on eight nations for opposing American influence over Greenland.

Reactions to Trump’s Saturday announcement varied, with some expressing concern over a potential “dangerous downward spiral,” while others speculated that “China and Russia must be finding this situation highly entertaining.”

This ultimatum from Trump introduces a precarious challenge to U.S. alliances in Europe. Recently, several European nations have deployed troops to Greenland, citing Arctic security exercises as their motive. The announcement coincided with thousands of Greenlanders protesting outside the U.S. Consulate in Nuuk, the capital.

The Republican president seemed to suggest the tariffs were a strategic move to pressure Denmark and other European nations into discussions about Greenland’s status. Greenland, a semiautonomous region under NATO ally Denmark, holds significant strategic value to U.S. national interests. The countries affected by the tariff include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland.

Immediate questions have arisen regarding the White House’s ability to enforce these tariffs, as the European Union operates as a unified trading entity, according to a European diplomat who requested anonymity. Additionally, the legal basis for Trump’s action remains unclear, although he might invoke emergency economic powers, which are currently under scrutiny by 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.

The eight countries issued a joint statement Sunday: “As members of NATO, we are committed to strengthening Arctic security as a shared transatlantic interest. The pre-coordinated Danish exercise ‘Arctic Endurance,’ conducted with Allies, responds to this necessity. It poses no threat to anyone.”

The statement added: “We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland. Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind. Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.”

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

Italy’s right-wing Premier Giorgia Meloni, considered one of Trump’s closest allies on the continent, said Sunday she had spoken to him about the tariffs, which she described as “a mistake.”

The deployment to Greenland of small numbers of troops by some European countries was misunderstood by Washington, Meloni told reporters during a two-day visit to South Korea. She said the deployment was not a move against U.S. but aimed to provide security against “other actors” that she didn’t name.

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, U.K. 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, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, Aamer Madhani in Washington and Josh Boak in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.