Merz welcomes Trump’s decision to halt Greenland takeover, tariff threats

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed relief over US President Donald Trump’s surprise decision not to impose additional tariffs on some European countries and to abandon plans related to Greenland.

"I am very grateful that President Trump has refrained from his original plans to take over Greenland. And I am also grateful that he has refrained from imposing additional tariffs on February 1," Merz said on January 22 as he arrived at an EU summit in Brussels, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

The summit had originally been convened to coordinate a joint EU response to the threatened tariffs. EU leaders are now focused on drawing lessons from recent events and finding ways to navigate changing transatlantic relations.

Merz emphasised the need for a stronger European Union, saying, "we will have to strengthen the resilience and robustness of the European Union."

He added, "The European Union, the European part of NATO, must be able to defend itself," noting that despite some progress, "we are still a long way from achieving everything we need to achieve."

In addition, Merz highlighted the importance of improving EU competitiveness.

Earlier, the United States and NATO have reached a framework agreement, under which the US will deploy missiles on the island, gain rights to extract mineral resources, and NATO will increase its presence in the strategically important region. 

One of the conditions for its implementation is that the US will maintain its commitment not to impose tariffs on goods from European countries.

Discussions between US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on January 22 did not address the question of Greenland’s sovereignty.

By Sabina Mammadli