Kathrine Frich
Europe’s standoff with Washington is entering unfamiliar territory, with allies openly discussing retaliation once considered unthinkable.
After weeks of escalating threats, leaders across the continent are signalling they may not take the pressure in silence.
The latest flashpoint centres on Greenland and the price NATO partners could be forced to pay for resisting Trump.
Tariffs spark backlash
According to The Times, Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs on eight NATO allies that oppose a US takeover of Greenland.
The warning has prompted an unusually blunt reaction across Europe.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said: “We will not let ourselves be blackmailed,” while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the only European leader invited to Trump’s inauguration, called the move a “mistake.”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb warned of a “harmful spiral” that could damage the transatlantic relationship, The Times reported.
The countries most directly affected include Britain, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
Bases under pressure
One of the most sensitive issues now under discussion is America’s military footprint in Europe.
The Times reported growing debate over whether Europe could use US bases as leverage, particularly in Germany, which hosts major hubs such as Ramstein and Stuttgart.
German officials denied plans to force US troops out, but one source said Berlin could consider raising the rent charged for hosting American facilities.
A YouGov poll cited by The Times found that 47 percent of Germans support the withdrawal of US troops from the country.
NATO at risk
Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius warned that any unilateral US move to annex Greenland could threaten NATO itself. Writing in Die Zeit, he said:
“Going it alone represents a worse alternative and endangers NATO’s continued existence as a North Atlantic defense alliance.”
The warning underscores fears that the dispute could fracture the alliance at a time of wider global instability.
Europe’s toolkit
European governments are also weighing a range of economic responses if tensions escalate further.
One option is reciprocal tariffs, matching US measures to increase political pressure on Trump at home.
Another would involve targeting exports linked to Trump’s political base, such as bourbon, a tactic the EU has used in previous trade disputes.
French President Emmanuel Macron has urged consideration of the EU’s anti-coercion instrument, a mechanism designed as a “last resort” against economic intimidation.
Analysts say Europe may hold leverage in areas where the US relies heavily on European markets or regulation.
Tobias Gehrke of the European Council on Foreign Relations has described this as “mutually asymmetric dependence,” pointing to tools ranging from export taxes to stricter regulatory and technology rules.
Sources: The Times, YouGov, Die Zeit, Express.
