European Parliament halts work on US trade deal in response to Trump Greenland push
The European Parliament said it is halting work on proposed U.S.-EU trade measures on Wednesday after accusing Washington of undermining the sovereignty of Denmark and Greenland through tariff threats.
"Given the continued and escalating threats, including tariff threats, against Greenland and Denmark, and their European allies, we have been left with no alternative but to suspend work on the two Turnberry legislative proposals until the US decides to re-engage on a path of cooperation rather than confrontation, and before any further steps are taken," Bernd Lange, chair of Parliament’s International Trade Committee, said in a statement.
The trade deal would have suspended tariffs on all industrial goods from the U.S. and established a tariff system for the majority of U.S. agriculture and food products that are brought to the EU.
Speaking from Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said that he does not want to use force as he pressures NATO allies on Greenland, and declared that the U.S. is the only nation that is in the position to control and secure Greenland.
DAVOS BRACES FOR TRUMP AMID TENSIONS OVER NATO, GREENLAND AND GLOBAL DEFENSE
"All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland," Trump said Wednesday from his speech at the World Economic Forum. "Where we've already had it as a trustee, but respectfully returned it back to Denmark not long ago after we defeated the Germans, the Japanese, the Italians and others in World War II, we gave it back to them."
Greenland — the world’s largest island — sits in the Arctic and governs its own domestic affairs while remaining within the Kingdom of Denmark.
More than half a dozen European countries warned in a joint statement on Sunday that tariff threats over Greenland undermine transatlantic relations as the White House seeks to pressure allies into a deal to acquire the Arctic island.
Trump threatened on his Truth Social platform to impose a 10% tariff on the eight European countries unless a deal is reached for what he called the "complete and total purchase of Greenland."
In Davos, Trump argued that U.S. control of Greenland would strengthen security for both the United States and Europe, framing the territory as a strategic necessity rather than a real-estate acquisition.
"The European Union needs us to have it, and they know that," he said.
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This is a developing news story; check back for updates.
Fox News Digital's Emma Colton and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.