Kathrine Frich
A senior Russian figure involved in talks over Ukraine says relations between the United States and Europe have reached breaking point.
His comments follow fresh tensions triggered by Donald Trump’s latest trade threats against US allies.
The remarks come amid growing disputes over Greenland, tariffs and the future of transatlantic cooperation.
Alliance declared over
Kirill Dmitriev, a key Russian negotiator in contacts with the United States on ending the war in Ukraine, said the transatlantic alliance was effectively over after Trump threatened new tariffs on European countries.
“Transatlantic unity is over,” Dmitriev wrote on X, responding to reports that Trump plans to punish European allies opposing his bid to take control of Greenland.
Dmitriev, an economist appointed by Vladimir Putin and seen as an important Kremlin channel to Washington, accused European leaders of failure and mocked what he described as their dependence on the US.
Tariff escalation
On Saturday, Trump said the United States would impose a 10% tariff on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and the United Kingdom starting February 1.
He added that the tariffs would rise to 25% from June 1 if opposition to his Greenland plans continued.
In follow-up posts, Dmitriev derided European leaders, saying: “Europe should not provoke its daddy.”
European backlash
The eight affected countries issued a joint statement on Sunday, calling Trump’s move a “dangerous downward spiral” and reaffirming that Greenland is a sovereign territory of Denmark.
Protests erupted over the weekend in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, and in Copenhagen. In Nuuk, nearly a third of the city’s population marched under the slogan “Greenland is not for sale.”
Trump responded on Truth Social, accusing Denmark of failing to protect Greenland from the “Russian threat” over the past two decades. “Now is the time, and it will be done!!!” he wrote.
Russia weighs in
Other senior Russian officials also welcomed the growing rift between Washington and Europe.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev predicted an open clash between the US and Europe over Greenland, saying:
“The US is preparing to attack Greenland, choosing the island itself instead of Atlantic solidarity.”
Greenland, home to about 56,000 people, is an autonomous territory of Denmark that Trump has said the US “must own” for national security reasons.
Sources: Reuters, TVPWorld, Digi24
