LONDON, January 17. /TASS/. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the decision of US President Donald Trump to impose duties on eight European countries, including the United Kingdom, over disagreement over Greenland fundamentally wrong.
"Our position on Greenland is very clear - it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes. We have also made clear that Arctic Security matters for the whole of NATO and allies should all do more together to address the threat from Russia across different parts of the Arctic," the British prime minister said in a statement.
"Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration."
Earlier, Trump's decision was condemned by the leaders of the main British opposition parties.
Trump has promised to levy 10% import duties on Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, France and Sweden, which will remain in place until the parties reach agreements on "complete and total purchase" of Greenland by Washington. This decision will take effect on February 1, Trump said. Starting from June 1, the duties will increase to 25%. He also blasted Europe's intention to send its forces to Greenland, calling it a "very dangerous game." Trump argued that owning Greenland is necessary to strengthen US national security and effectively deploy the American Golden Dome missile defense system.