On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced a 10% import tax starting in February on goods from eight European nations that have rallied around Denmark in the wake of his stepped-up calls for the United States to take over the semi-autonomous territory of Greenland. Trump has insisted the U.S. needs the territory for security reasons against possible threats from China and Russia. Trump linked his aggressive stance on Greenland to last year’s decision not to award him the Nobel Peace Prize, telling Norway’s prime minister that he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace,” in a text message released Monday.
- The American leader’s threats have sparked outrage and a flurry of diplomatic activity across Europe, as leaders consider possible countermeasures. That could include the first-ever use of the European Union’s anti-coercion instrument, also known as the “trade bazooka.”
Trump posted on social media that he had spoken with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and “I agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland,” where they will be attending the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting this week.
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