In a bold move that has sparked international attention, President Donald Trump announced on Saturday a new 10% import tax targeting goods from eight European countries. This decision, set to take effect in February, comes in response to these nations’ opposition to U.S. control over Greenland.

Using social media as his platform, Trump declared that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland would be subjected to this tariff. He further stated that should an agreement not be reached for the “Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by June 1, the tariff would escalate to 25%.

Meanwhile, the people of Greenland have made their stance clear. Braving near-freezing temperatures and icy conditions, hundreds gathered in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, on Saturday to express their support for self-governance. This demonstration was a direct response to the looming possibility of an American acquisition.

Marchers in Nuuk carried the red-and-white national flags and were accompanied by the sounds of traditional songs as they navigated the small downtown area. Their signs conveyed messages of autonomy and pride, with slogans like “We shape our future,” “Greenland is not for sale,” and “Greenland is already GREAT.” This sentiment resonated beyond Nuuk, with similar rallies occurring across the Danish kingdom.

SEE ALSO | In their words: Greenlanders talk about Trump’s desire to own their Arctic island

The rallies occurred hours after a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation in Copenhagen sought to reassure Denmark and Greenland of their support.

The leader of the delegation, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said that the current rhetoric around Greenland is causing concern across the Danish kingdom. Coons said that he wants to de-escalate the situation.

“I hope that the people of the Kingdom of Denmark do not abandon their faith in the American people,” he said in Copenhagen, adding that the U.S. has respect for Denmark and NATO “for all we’ve done together.”

NATO training exercises

Meanwhile, Danish Maj. Gen. Sren Andersen, leader of the Joint Arctic Command, told The Associated Press that Denmark doesn’t expect the U.S. military to attack Greenland, or any other NATO ally, and that European troops were recently deployed to Nuuk for Arctic defense training.

He said that the goal isn’t to send a message to the Trump administration, even through the White House hasn’t ruled out taking the territory by force.

“I will not go into the political part, but I will say that I would never expect a NATO country to attack another NATO country,” he told the AP on Saturday aboard a Danish military vessel docked in Nuuk. “For us, for me, it’s not about signaling. It is actually about training military units, working together with allies.”

The Danish military organized a planning meeting Friday in Greenland with NATO allies, including the U.S., to discuss Arctic security on the alliance’s northern flank in the face of a potential Russian threat. The Americans were also invited to participate in Operation Arctic Endurance in Greenland in the coming days, Andersen said.

In his 2 years as a commander in Greenland, Andersen said that he hasn’t seen any Chinese or Russian combat vessels or warships, despite Trump saying that they were off the island’s coast.

But in the unlikely event of American troops using force on Danish soil, Andersen confirmed a Cold War-era law governing Danish rules of engagement.

“But you are right that it is Danish law that a Danish soldier, if attacked, has the obligation to fight back,” he said.

‘Important for the whole world’

Thousands of people marched through Copenhagen, many of them carrying Greenland’s flag, on Saturday afternoon in support of the self-governing island. Others held signs with slogans like “Make America Smart Again” and “Hands Off.”

“This is important for the whole world,” Danish protester Elise Riechie told the AP as she held Danish and Greenlandic flags. “There are many small countries. None of them are for sale.”

Coons’ comments contrasted with statements emanating from the White House. Trump has sought to justify his calls for a U.S. takeover by repeatedly saying that China and Russia have their own designs on Greenland, which holds vast untapped reserves of critical minerals.

“There are no current security threats to Greenland,” Coons said.

Trump has insisted for months that the U.S. should control Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and said earlier this week that anything less than the Arctic island being in U.S. hands would be “unacceptable.”

During an unrelated event at the White House about rural health care, he recounted Friday how he had threatened European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals.

“I may do that for Greenland, too,” Trump said, before his announcement Saturday about his targeted tariffs. “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that.”

He had not previously mentioned using tariffs to try to force the issue.

Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met in Washington with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

That encounter didn’t resolve the deep differences, but did produce an agreement to set up a working group – on whose purpose Denmark and the White House then offered sharply diverging public views.

European leaders have said that it’s only for Denmark and Greenland to decide on matters concerning the territory, and Denmark said this week that it was increasing its military presence in Greenland in cooperation with allies.

“There is almost no better ally to the United States than Denmark,” Coons said. “If we do things that cause Danes to question whether we can be counted on as a NATO ally, why would any other country seek to be our ally or believe in our representations?”

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Niemann reported from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Boak from West Palm Beach, Fla. Associated Press writer Stefanie Dazio in Berlin contributed to this report.