French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday issued a sharp rebuke to US President Donald Trump’s threat of trade penalties linked to Greenland, declaring that France and its European partners would not yield to economic pressure or political coercion.
Responding to Washington’s warning of new tariffs, Macron said attempts to use trade measures as leverage were unacceptable and promised a collective European reaction if the threats were carried out. Writing on social media, the French leader stressed that intimidation would not alter France’s position on key international issues.
“No form of pressure will dictate our choices — not in Ukraine, not in Greenland, and nowhere else,” Macron said, reaffirming France’s support for the sovereignty of nations facing external pressure.
He underlined that France’s foreign policy is rooted in respect for national independence and international law, principles that have shaped Paris’s support for Ukraine since the start of the conflict and its participation in security initiatives in the Arctic region.
According to Macron, France’s involvement in a recent military exercise in Greenland, organised by Denmark, reflects broader concerns about stability in the Arctic and Europe’s northern frontiers. “Security at Europe’s outer edges is inseparable from our own,” he said, adding that Paris fully stood by its decision.
The French president’s remarks came amid mounting unease in Europe following Trump’s announcement that the United States could impose fresh import duties on Denmark and several other European countries unless they agree to negotiations over the sale of Greenland. Trump has argued that US ownership of the Arctic territory is necessary to counter growing Russian and Chinese influence.
Under the plan outlined by Trump, goods from Denmark, France, Germany, the UK, Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands would face a 10 per cent tariff from February 1 next year, rising to 25 per cent by June if no agreement is reached.
European institutions have begun mobilising in response. The European Union has called an emergency meeting of member-state representatives to assess the situation and coordinate a response, according to officials cited by French media.
Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, has repeatedly rejected any suggestion of being sold, with leaders in both Nuuk and Copenhagen insisting the island’s future must be decided by its own people. Trump’s comments have triggered protests in Denmark and Greenland, where demonstrators have criticised what they describe as external interference.
Macron’s intervention adds to a growing chorus of European leaders pushing back against Washington’s stance, signalling that the dispute over Greenland is rapidly evolving into a broader test of transatlantic unity and Europe’s resolve to defend its sovereignty.
