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BEIJING, Jan 29 (Reuters) – China has agreed to relax rules for British citizens visiting the country, allowing them to visit visa-free for a trip of under 30 days, a statement from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said on Thursday.
(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Muvija M, writing by Sarah Young, editing by Catarina Demony)
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MOSCOW, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov has won a legal complaint against German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung over an article it published about him, court documents obtained by Reuters show.
In a ruling dated January 23, a Hamburg court prohibited FAZ from disseminating several statements, including allegations about Usmanov’s links to top Russian officials, from an April 2023 article titled “On the Kremlin’s instructions”.
Usmanov has a net worth of $18.8 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and is subject to European Union and U.S. sanctions and a travel ban that were imposed after the start of the war in Ukraine.
He has launched multiple lawsuits in Europe with the ultimate goal of having the sanctions lifted. In some, his lawyers contested statements in the media that were used as the grounds for sanctions.
Usmanov’s lawyer, Joachim Steinhofel, said in remarks about the Hamburg court’s decision that the statements banned from further dissemination “repeated essential parts of the reasoning behind the sanctions against Mr Usmanov.”
“This (the court decision) allows for the legally substantiated assessment that the EU sanctions’ reasoning is nothing more than an accumulation of defamatory, groundless, and thus illegal allegations,” he added.
Last month, Germany agreed with Usmanov to close an investigation into alleged foreign trade law violations, provided that he pay 10 million euros ($11.98 million). In 2024, German prosecutors dropped a money laundering investigation against him.
(Reporting by Gleb Bryanski, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Dutch semiconductor chip machine maker ASML recorded a record net profit of 9.6 billion euros ($11.5 billion) in 2025 on sales of 32.7 billion euros fueled by AI-driven demand, the company reported Wednesday as it also announced plans to slash its workforce by about 1,700, about 4% of its workforce.
The growth comes despite Dutch government restrictions on exports of machines that can be used to make chips that can be integrated into weapons systems. The measures, initially announced in 2023 and later expanded, are seen as part of a U.S. policy that aims at limiting China’s access to such technology.
“In the last months, many of our customers have shared a notably more positive assessment of the medium-term market situation, primarily based on more robust expectations of the sustainability of AI-related demand. This is reflected in a marked step-up in their medium-term capacity plans and in our record order intake,” ASML President and Chief Executive Officer Christophe Fouquet said in a statement.
In a message to employees, the company said it was cutting jobs in order to become more streamlined and efficient. It said ASML was “choosing to make these changes at a moment of strength for the company. Improving our processes and systems will allow us to innovate more and innovate better, generating further responsible growth for ASML and our stakeholders.”
The job cuts are intended to sharpen ASML’s focus on engineering and innovation by streamlining the company’s technology and IT departments, the message said.
The company said it expects 2026 to be “another growth year for ASML’s business” driven by sales of its extreme ultraviolet lithography systems.
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BEIJING, Jan 27 (Reuters) – China is ready to enhance mutual trust with Britain and deepen practical cooperation with the Group of Seven nation as Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits the world’s second-largest economy this week, according to the Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday.
During Starmer’s visit from Wednesday to Saturday, he will meet with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and China’s top legislator, Zhao Leji, said Guo Jiakun, spokesperson at the foreign ministry, at a regular news conference.
Starmer will lead a delegation of more than 50 British companies and institutions from sectors including finance, healthcare and manufacturing, China’s commerce ministry said in a separate statement released on Tuesday.
Trade and investment documents are expected to be signed during the British prime minister’s visit, it said.
The commerce ministry said it is willing to “strengthen communication on trade and economic policies to create a fair, transparent, and rule-of-law-based business environment for cooperation between enterprises of both sides.”
(Reporting by Ethan Wang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Tom Hogue)
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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if America’s northern neighbor went ahead with its trade deal with China.
Trump said in a social media post that if Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney “thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken.”
While Trump has waged a trade war over the past year, Canada this month negotiated a deal to lower tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in return for lower import taxes on Canadian farm products.
Trump initially had said that agreement was what Carney “should be doing and it’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal.”
Carney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump’s threat came amid an escalating war of words with Carney as the Republican president’s push to acquire Greenland strained the NATO alliance. Trump had commented while in Davos, Switzerland, this week that “Canada lives because of the United States.” Carney shot back that his nation can be an example that the world does not have to bend toward autocratic tendencies.
Trump later revoked his invitation to Carney to join the president’s “Board of Peace” that he is forming to try to resolve global conflicts.
Trump’s push to acquire Greenland has come after he has repeatedly needled Canada over its sovereignty and suggested it also be absorbed the United States as a 51st state.
He resumed that this week, posting an altered image on social media showing a map of the United States that included Canada, Venezuela, Greenland and Cuba as part of its territory.
In his message Saturday, Trump continued his provocations by calling Canada’s leader “Governor Carney.” Trump had used the same nickname for Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, and his use of it toward Carney was the latest mark of their soured relationship.
Carney has not yet reached a deal with Trump to reduce some of the tariffs that he has imposed on key sectors of the Canadian economy. But Canada has been protected by the heaviest impact of Trump’s tariffs by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. That trade agreement is up for a review this year.
___
Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
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SEOUL, Jan 24 (Reuters) – South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who is visiting the United States, held talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Washington, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Saturday.
Kim’s visit is part of the allies’ discussions to iron out the implementation of a wide-reaching trade and security agreement reached by their presidents in November.
(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Chris Reese)
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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Union is willing to implement a sweeping free trade agreement with the Mercosur group of South American countries on a provisional basis, the head of the EU’s executive commission said Friday, despite a vote by the EU parliament to delay ratification for legal review.
The EU would be ready to act as soon as at least one Mercosur country ratifies, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the conclusion of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels where several national leaders raised the issue.
“There is a clear interest that we ensure that the benefits of this agreement apply as soon as possible,” von der Leyen said at a news conference. “In short, we will be ready when they are ready.”
No formal decision to implement the deal had been taken yet, she said.
At the same news conference, Antonio Costa, head of the EU council of member governments, said the executive commission had the authority to move ahead on interim implementation.
A decision to do that is likely to provoke criticism from opponents of the deal, led by France. On Wednesday, the parliament narrowly voted to refer the trade deal to the European Court of Justice for legal review, holding up ratification since the parliament cannot vote on ratification until the court rules. That could take months.
The deal is central to Brussels’ plan to form trade relations outside a historic dependency on the U.S. in the wake of antagonism and aggression during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term. They’ve struck deals from Japan to Mexico and are expected to sign a similar accord with India later this month.
Supported by South America’s cattle-raising countries and European industrial interests, the accord is aimed at gradually eliminating more than 90% of tariffs on goods ranging from Argentine beef to German cars, creating one of the world’s largest free trade zones and making shopping cheaper for more than 700 million consumers.
France, Europe’s major agricultural producer, wanted stronger protections for farmers and has sought to delay the pact.
However German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the vote to delay “regrettable” and has urged provisional application of the agreement.
Ratification is considered all but guaranteed in South America, where the agreement has broad support.
Mercosur consists of the region’s two biggest economies, Argentina and Brazil, as well as Paraguay and Uruguay. Bolivia, the bloc’s newest member, is not included the trade deal, but could join in the coming years. Venezuela has been suspended from the bloc and is not included in the agreement.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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new video loaded: Why Trump’s Reversal on Greenland Still Leaves Europe on Edge
By Andrew Ross Sorkin, Rebecca Suner, Coleman Lowndes and Laura Salaberry
January 22, 2026
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Jan 22 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said the details of a U.S. agreement over Greenland were still being worked out on Thursday, speaking one day after he stepped back from a tariff threat and ruled out the use of force to seize the Danish territory.
Trump, in an interview on Fox Business Network from Davos, also acknowledged the impact of his quest for Greenland on global markets and said he did not plan to pay to acquire it.
“It’s really being negotiated now, the details of it. But essentially it’s total access. It’s – there’s no end, there’s no time limit,” Trump said from the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.
“I noticed the stock market went up very substantially after we announced it,” he told FBN’s “Mornings with Maria” program.
Asked about the possibility of Europeans selling U.S. stocks and bonds, he added: “If they do, they do. But if that would happen, there would be a big retaliation on our part, and we have all the cards.”
Trump began floating the idea of acquiring Greenland after taking office last year but stepped up his rhetoric in recent weeks, threatening a 10% tariff on eight European countries over the weekend that shook investors.
He continued his push in a more than hour-long speech at Davos on Wednesday before meeting with the head of NATO and announcing plans for a new deal that has yet to be defined.
Asked on Thursday what he was willing to pay for the semi-autonomous territory, he added: “We’re going to not have to pay anything other than the fact that we are building the Golden Dome.”
Trump said any deal would allow “total access” to Greenland, including for the military: “We’re getting everything we want at no cost”.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Alex Richardson, William Maclean)
Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.
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BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders are gathering for emergency talks on Thursday to chart a new course in transatlantic relations after a tumultuous two weeks dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed threats to take control of Greenland.
On the eve of their summit, Trump dramatically backed away from his insistence on “acquiring” Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. For the first time, he said that he would not use force to seize the island. Trump also dropped his threat of slapping tariffs on eight European nations supporting Denmark.
Yet nothing suggests that the unpredictable U.S. leader won’t change his mind again. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week cast doubts over his reliability after he appeared ready to renege on an EU-U.S. trade deal sealed in July that was meant to end further tariffs.
“In politics as in business – a deal is a deal. And when friends shake hands, it must mean something,” von der Leyen told EU lawmakers on Tuesday.
No details of the hastily agreed “framework” deal that sparked Trump’s extraordinary reversal have been made public, and doubts about it persist. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen insists that her country will not negotiate away its sovereignty.
European leaders are also expected to agree on a joint approach to Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace,” which was initially envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing the Gaza ceasefire but has grown into something far more ambitious.
On Thursday, days after telling the prime minister of Norway in a text message that he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace,” Trump put the spotlight on the proposed board at Davos.
Trump has spoken about the board replacing some of the functions of the United Nations.
Some European countries have declined invitations to join. Norway, Slovenia and Sweden said they won’t take part. Told that President Emmanuel Macron was unlikely to join, Trump said: “I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes and he’ll join.”
Germany has offered a guarded and noncommittal response to Trump’s invitation, but Hungary has accepted.
On the eve of the meeting, the man who will chair it, European Council President António Costa, said that the Trump administration poses a challenge to Europe’s security, principles and prosperity.
“All these three dimensions are being tested in the current moment of transatlantic relations,” Costa said.
After consulting the leaders, Costa said they are united on “the principles of international law, territorial integrity and national sovereignty,” something the EU insists on as it defends Ukraine against Russia, and which Trump has threatened in Greenland.
In a speech to EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France, he also insisted that “further tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and are incompatible with the EU-US trade agreement.” EU lawmakers must endorse that deal but on Wednesday they put a hold on their vote over Trump’s threats.
EU leaders have been galvanized by Trump’s bullying over Greenland, and are rethinking their relations with an unpredictable America, their long-time ally and the most powerful member of NATO.
“Appeasement is always a sign of weakness. Europe cannot afford to be weak — neither against its enemies, nor ally,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a staunch supporter of strong transatlantic ties, posted on social media on Tuesday.
Von der Leyen, who manages trade on behalf of EU countries, warned that the bloc is “at a crossroads.” Should tariffs come, she said, “we are fully prepared to act, if necessary, with unity, urgency and determination.”
She also told the lawmakers that the commission is working on “a massive European investment surge in Greenland” to beef up its economy and infrastructure, as well as a new European security strategy.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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COPENHAGEN, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday that Denmark and Greenland will continue to engage in a constructive dialogue on security in the Arctic, provided that this is done with respect for her country’s territorial integrity.
U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly stepped back on Wednesday from threats to impose tariffs as leverage to seize Greenland, ruled out the use of force and suggested a deal was in sight to end a dispute over the Danish territory.
After meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said Western Arctic allies could forge agreement that satisfies his desire for a “Golden Dome” missile‑defence system and access to minerals while blocking Russia and China’s ambitions.
Frederiksen said NATO was fully aware of Denmark’s position, and that she had been informed that Rutte’s talks did not involve her country’s sovereignty.
“”Security in the Arctic is a matter for the entire NATO alliance. Therefore, it is good and natural that it is also discussed between NATO’s secretary general and the president of the United States,” Frederiksen said in a statement.
“The Kingdom of Denmark wishes to continue to engage in a constructive dialogue with allies on how we can strengthen security in the Arctic, including the United States’ Golden Dome, provided that this is done with respect for our territorial integrity,” she said.
(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Terje Solsvik and Essi Lehto)
Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.
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The U.S. stock market rebounded after President Donald Trump called off Greenland-related tariffs that he had threatened to impose on Europe.
The S&P 500 rallied 1.2% Wednesday after Trump said he reached the framework of a deal about Greenland, an island he’s long coveted, and won’t impose tariffs he had threatened on several European countries. The index recovered about half the ground it lost a day earlier.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average also rose 1.2%, as did the Nasdaq composite. Treasury yields eased in the bond market. They also got some help from a calming of government bond yields in Japan.
On Wednesday:
The S&P 500 rose 78.76 points, or 1.2%, to 6,875.62.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 588.64 points, or 1.2%, to 49,077.23.
The Nasdaq composite rose 270.50 points, or 1.2%, to 23,224.82.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 52.81 points, or 2%, to 2,698.17.
For the week:
The S&P 500 is down 64.39 points, or 0.9%.
The Dow is down 282.10 points, or 0.6%.
The Nasdaq is down 290.56 points, or 1.2%.
The Russell 2000 is up 20.43 points, or 0.8%.
For the year:
The S&P 500 is up 30.12 points, or 0.4%.
The Dow is up 1,013.94 points, or 2.1%.
The Nasdaq is down 17.17 points, or 0.1%.
The Russell 2000 is up 216.27 points, or 8.7%.
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BRUSSELS — European Union lawmakers on Wednesday voted to hold up ratification of a major free trade agreement with the Mercosur group of South American countries over concerns about the legality of the deal.
In a vote in Strasbourg, France, lawmakers narrowly approved sending the EU-Mercosur agreement to Europe’s top court to rule on whether it is in line with the bloc’s treaties. The result was 334 votes in favor to 324 against, with 11 abstentions.
The assembly cannot vote to approve the pact until the European Court of Justice has ruled, and this could take months.
The long sought-after free trade agreement was signed into effect on Saturday. Twenty-five years in the making, it aimed to strengthen commercial ties in the face of rising protectionism and trade tensions around the world.
The deal was seen as a central priority of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who shepherded it through a key vote on Jan. 9 among the EU’s 27 leaders. “The more trading partners we have world-wide, the more independent we are,” von der Leyen said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, pointing to Mercosur and another trade deal in the works with India.
Supported by South America’s cattle-raising countries and European industrial interests, the accord is aimed at gradually eliminating more than 90% of tariffs on goods ranging from Argentine beef to German cars, creating one of the world’s largest free trade zones and making shopping cheaper for more than 700 million consumers.
France, Europe’s major agricultural producer, wanted stronger protections for farmers and has sought to delay the pact. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot welcomed the parliament’s vote, saying in a social media post that the assembly “expressed itself in line with the position that we have defended. France takes responsibility for saying no when it has to, and history often proves it right. The fight continues.”
The European Commission said that it “strongly regrets” the parliament’s decision.
However, the EU’s powerful executive branch can provisionally apply the deal until then. EU leaders are expected to discuss the way ahead at an emergency summit focused on transatlantic relations on Thursday.
In a post on social media, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the EU parliament’s decision as “regrettable.”
“It misjudges the geopolitical situation. We are convinced of the legality of the agreement. No further delays. The agreement must now be applied provisionally,” Merz wrote.
Bernd Lange, head of the parliament’s committee on trade, said the vote was “absolutely irresponsible” and “very harmful for our economic interests.”
Opponents should simply vote against ratification “instead of using delaying tactics under the guise of legal review,” he wrote on X.
Ratification is considered all but guaranteed in South America, where the agreement has broad support.
Mercosur consists of the region’s two biggest economies, Argentina and Brazil, as well as Paraguay and Uruguay. Bolivia, the bloc’s newest member, is not included the trade deal, but could join in the coming years. Venezuela has been suspended from the bloc and is not included in the agreement.
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AP writers Sam McNeil in Brussels and David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany contributed.
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DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday said America’s relations with Europe remain strong and urged trading partners to “take a deep breath” and let tensions driven by the Trump administration’s new tariff threats over Greenland “play out.”
“I think our relations have never been closer,” he said, speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
On Saturday, 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.
The American leader’s threats have sparked outrage and a flurry of diplomatic activity across Europe, as leaders consider possible countermeasures, including retaliatory tariffs and the first-ever use of the European Union’s anti-coercion instrument.
The EU has three major economic tools it could use to pressure Washington: new tariffs, suspension of the U.S.-EU trade deal, and a “trade bazooka,” the unofficial term for the bloc’s Anti-Coercion Instrument that could sanction individuals or institutions found to be putting undue pressure on the EU.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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NEW DELHI, Jan 18 (Reuters) – India has received an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to join his “Board of Peace” initiative that is aimed at resolving global conflicts, beginning with Gaza, a senior Indian government official said on Sunday.
It was not clear whether India would join the initiative. Its foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The invitation to India comes as ties between New Delhi and Washington are under strain due to the failure to secure a trade deal that would lower tariffs on India’s exports to the U.S. that are facing a levy of 50% currently, among the highest in the world.
Trump has extended invitations to some 60 countries for the initiative, including India’s neighbour Pakistan, whose government said earlier in the day that it would engage in international efforts for peace and security in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
(Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Additional reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Louise Heavens and Jane Merriman)
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By Karin Strohecker and Dhara Ranasinghe
LONDON, Jan 18 (Reuters) – Global markets face a fresh bout of volatility this week after President Donald Trump vowed to slap tariffs on eight European nations until the U.S. is allowed to buy Greenland.
Trump said he would impose an additional 10% import tariffs from February 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Britain, which will rise to 25% on June 1 if no deal is reached.
“Hopes that the tariff situation has calmed down for this year have been dashed for now – and we find ourselves in the same situation as last spring,” said Berenberg chief economist Holger Schmieding.
Sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs in April 2025 sent shockwaves through financial markets. Investors then largely looked past Trump trade threats in the second half of the year, viewing them as noise and responding with relief as Trump made deals with the likes of Britain and the European Union.
While that lull might be over, market moves on Monday could be dampened by the experience that investor sentiment had been more resilient and global economic growth stayed on track.
Nonetheless, Schmieding expected the euro could come under some pressure when Asian trade begins. The euro ended Friday at around $1.16 against the dollar, having hit its lowest levels since late November.
Implications for the dollar were less clear. It remains a safe haven, but could also feel the impact of Washington being at the centre of geopolitical ruptures, as it did last April.
“For European markets it will be a small setback, but not something comparable to the Liberation Day reaction,” Schmieding said.
European stocks are trading near record highs, with Germany’s DAX and London’s blue-chip FTSE index up more than 3% since the start of the year, outperforming the S&P 500, which is up 1.3%.
European defence shares are likely to remain an outlier – benefiting from increased geopolitical tensions. Defence stocks have jumped almost 15% this month, as the U.S. seizure of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro fuelled concerns about Greenland.
Denmark’s closely managed crown will also likely be in focus. It has been weakening, but rate differentials are a major factor and it is still close to the central rate at which it is pegged to the euro. It is trading not far from six-year lows against the euro.
“The U.S.-EU trade war is back on,” said Tina Fordham, geopolitical strategist and founder of Fordham Global Foresight.
Trump’s latest move came as top officials from the EU and South American bloc Mercosur signed a free trade agreement.
‘UNTHINKABLE SORTS OF DEVELOPMENTS’
The dispute over Greenland is just one hot spot.
Trump has also weighed intervening in unrest in Iran, while the U.S. administration’s threat to indict Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has reignited concerns about its independence.
Against this backdrop, safe-haven gold remains near record highs.
The World Economic Forum’s annual risk perception survey, released ahead of its annual meeting in Davos, which will be attended by Trump, identified economic confrontation between nations as the number one concern replacing armed conflict.
While investors have grown increasingly wary of geopolitical risk, they have also become used to it to some extent.
“Investor sentiment has proven quite resilient in the face of the sort of continuing unthinkable sorts of developments, which probably reflects a combination of like faith that Trump just won’t be able to do all of the things that he talks about mixed with a sense that none of this kind of moves the needle on asset prices,” said Fordham.
(Reporting by Karin Strohecker and Dhara Ranasinghe ; Editing by Alexander Smith)
Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — European governments blasted U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that eight countries will face 10% tariff for opposing American control of Greenland beginning next month.
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland are on Trump’s list, though it was not immediately clear if the tariffs would impact the European Union as a bloc.
Trump’s threat sets up a potentially dangerous test of U.S. partnerships in Europe. The U.S. president indicated the tariffs were retaliation for the deployment of symbolic levels of troops from the European countries to Greenland. Europeans said the troops were sent in response to Trump’s call for strengthened Arctic security.
Here’s a look at what the governments of the eight countries said:
“We agree with the U.S. that we need to do more since the Arctic is no longer a low tension area,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in a statement. “That’s exactly why we and NATO partners are stepping up in full transparency with our American allies.”
“Threats have no place among allies,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre wrote on social media. “Norway’s position is firm: Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Norway fully supports the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. There is broad agreement in NATO on the need to strengthen security in the Arctic, including in Greenland.”
“We will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on social media. “I will always stand up for my country, and for our allied neighbors. This is an EU issue that concerns many more countries than those now being singled out.”
“No intimidation or threats will influence us, whether in Ukraine, Greenland or anywhere else in the world when we are faced with such situations,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media. “Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context.”
“The Federal Government has taken note of the statements made by the U.S. President,” German federal government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius wrote on social media. “It is in closest coordination with its European partners. Together, we will decide on appropriate responses at the appropriate time.”
“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,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. “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. Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong.”
“It’s inappropriate, because we’re not in favor of using trade tariffs in situations that have nothing to do with trade,” Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said during an interview on current affairs show “WNL op Zondag.” “As allies, I don’t think this is how you should treat each other; not seek dialogue with each other, but try to put pressure on each other. So no, I’m very unhappy about this.”
“Among allies, issues are best resolved through discussion, not through pressure,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who famously bonded with Trump over their shared love of golf, wrote on social media. “Tariffs would undermine the transatlantic relationship and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
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BRUSSELS, Jan 17 (Reuters) – European Union leaders on Saturday warned of a “dangerous downward spiral” over U.S. President Donald Trump’s vow to implement increasing tariffs on European allies until the U.S. is allowed to buy Greenland.
“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa said in posts on X.
The bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said tariffs would hurt prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, while distracting the EU from its “core task” of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among allies,” Kallas said on X.
“Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity. If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO.”
Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 countries will convene on Sunday for an emergency meeting to discuss their response to the tariff threat.
(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Phil Blenkinsop, Editing by Mark Potter and Chris Reese)
Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.
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ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay — The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries formally signed a long-sought landmark free trade agreement on Saturday, capping more than a quarter-century of torturous negotiations to strengthen commercial ties in the face of rising protectionism and trade tensions around the world.
The signing ceremony in Paraguay’s humid capital of Asunción marks a major geopolitical victory for the EU in an age of American tariffs and surging Chinese exports, expanding the bloc’s foothold in a resource-rich region increasingly contested by Washington and Beijing.
It also sends a message that South America keeps diverse trade and diplomatic relations even as U.S. President Donald Trump declares dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who head’s the EU’s executive branch, said that “the geopolitical importance of this agreement cannot be overstated” amid revived skepticism about the benefits of free trade.
“We choose fair trade over tariffs. We choose a productive long-term partnership over isolation,” she declared at the ceremony attended by the presidents of Mercosur members Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, and by the foreign minister of the trading bloc’s biggest economy, Brazil.
“We will join forces like never before, because we believe that this is the best way to make our people and our countries prosper.”
In creating one of the world’s largest free trade zones, the accord — pushed by South America’s renowned cattle-raising countries and Europe’s industrial sectors craving new markets for cars and machines — brings together a market of more than 700 million consumers that accounts for a quarter of global gross domestic product.
After decades of delay, the politically explosive deal still must clear one final hurdle: ratification by the European Parliament. Powerful protectionist lobbies on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly European farmers scared of the possible dumping of cheap South American agricultural imports, have long sought to scupper the agreement and could still stall its implementation.
Although the accord eliminates more than 90% tariffs on goods and services between the European and Mercosur markets, some tariffs will progressively be cut over 10-15 years and key farm products like beef will be limited by strict quotas in a bid to assuage European farmers’ fears.
Those quotas, as well as safeguard measures and generous EU subsidies to cash-strapped farmers, pushed agricultural powerhouse Italy across the line earlier this month. France, however, remains opposed to the accord.
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ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay (AP) — The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries formally signed a long-sought landmark free trade agreement on Saturday, capping over a quarter-century of torturous negotiations to strengthen commercial ties in the face of rising protectionism and trade tensions around the world.
The signing ceremony in Paraguay’s humid capital of Asunción marks a major geopolitical victory for the EU in an age of American tariffs and surging Chinese exports, expanding the bloc’s foothold in a resource-rich region increasingly contested by Washington and Beijing.
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