Some senior Russian federal officials welcomed US President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on NATO allies because of Greenland, seeing it as the ‘collapse’ of this military alliance.
Ukraine’s The Kyiv Independent newspaper on the afternoon of January 18, local time, said that a number of senior Russian Federation officials welcomed US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on NATO allies in Europe regarding Greenland, in which Special Envoy of the President of the Russian Federation on foreign investment and economic cooperation, Mr. Kirill Dmitriev, stated that this move signaled the “collapse” of the transatlantic alliance.
Previously on January 17, President Trump announced on the social networking platform Truth Social that: “Starting February 1, 2026, all of the above countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Finland), will be subject to a 10% tax on any and all goods sent to the US. By June 1, 2026, the tax rate will increase to 25%. This duty shall be applicable and payable until an Agreement for the Complete and Whole Acquisition of Greenland is reached.”
The reason, according to Mr. Trump, is because “Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland have come to Greenland, with unclear purposes. This is an extremely dangerous situation for the Safety, Security and Survival of our Planet.”
Regarding this issue, Mr. Dmitriev wrote on social network
Related post by Special Envoy of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on foreign investment and economic cooperation, Mr. Kirill Dmitriev. Screenshot
For his part, former President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, who currently holds the position of Vice Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, also welcomed Mr. Trump’s statement, seeing this as evidence that the cracks within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are deepening.
“The US is preparing to attack Greenland, choosing the island itself instead of something called Atlantic solidarity,” Mr. Medvedev said, saying that European countries would be “punished with tariffs” for relying on US protection.
Previously, Mr. Medvedev urged Mr. Trump to quickly annex Greenland.
Greenland, home to about 56,000 people, already hosts a US military base and is increasingly strategically important as competition in the Arctic increases.
According to Ukrainian media (UNIAN, New Voice of Ukraine) on January 19, Mr. Trump first proposed buying Greenland during his 2017-2021 term, reportedly offering $600 million per year for the US to have access to the island forever.
The Trump administration revived the idea in 2025, with discussions of annexation intensifying in January 2026 following the US campaign against Venezuela.
On January 4, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called on the Trump administration to “stop threatening” to occupy Greenland, saying that the US has no right to annex any part of Danish territory.
On January 13, Republican Congressman Randy Fine presented a bill to the US Congress calling for the annexation of Greenland and recognition as a US state. This bill would allow Mr. Trump to negotiate with Denmark and then amend federal law to make Greenland the 51st US state.
In response to the Trump administration’s words, Greenland called for support from Britain and suggested dialogue instead of using force.
On January 16, it was reported that the US intends to hold negotiations with the Danish government and the Greenland government about every 2-3 weeks. A working group has been established to continue technical discussions. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the first meeting, held in Washington, DC, on January 14, “good” and “productive.”
The Kyiv Independent newspaper added that a number of European Union (EU) member countries have publicly supported Denmark since Mr. Trump renewed his threats to annex Greenland, showing growing concern in Europe about the potential consequences for NATO cohesion.
Mr. Trump asserted that NATO would become “stronger and more effective” if Greenland was under US control, an argument that was rejected by European leaders.
Cyprus, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, announced that EU ambassadors would hold an emergency meeting to assess the situation and discuss response measures.