Donald Trump (Photo: FRANCIS CHUNG/EPA)

The likely escalation of the trade confrontation between Europe and the United States over America's claims to Greenland is bad news, particularly for Ukraine, because of its dependence on Western support. About this for LIGA.net's text about the situation with the self-governing island within Denmark, said Volodymyr Dubovyk, a guest professor at Tufts University (USA), spoke.

In his opinion, the likelihood of US duties against European countries is quite high.

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The EU is preparing an economic "bazooka" against the United States. How the tariff war over Greenland will turn out

"[US president] Trump has gotten used to using tariffs as leverage this year. He thinks it works. Plus, he likes to be in the spotlight and have everyone comment on what's going on. I also think that Trump does not understand why this issue is so sensitive and important for Europeans, why they should not give up an island where almost no one lives," Dubovyk said.

However, he added, the European Union is unlikely to let this go unanswered – at the very least, the trade deal between Washington and the bloc is "definitely in jeopardy."

We can also expect broad solidarity among voters and politicians in Europe – even the far right from Britain to Germany criticizes the American president, the expert noted.

"So, unfortunately, escalation is quite possible here. Which, of course, is bad news for the transatlantic community and Ukraine, which depends on their help," Dubovyk concluded.

  • On January 17 Trump announced on the introduction of tariffs against the Allies who sent a limited number of troops to Greenland in February.
  • The next day, eight European countries issued a joint statement, in which they stated that tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations.
  • The head of the largest faction of the European Parliament said that MPs ready to stop the process approval of a trade agreement between the EU and the US due to the US president's intention to impose new duties.
  • On January 19, the US leader advised Europeans to focus on Russia's war against Ukraine, and not in Greenland.