BERLIN, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil on Sunday said Germany must not allow itself to be intimidated by the United States' Greenland policy, according to German public broadcaster ZDF.
"We must not allow ourselves to be blackmailed by what is happening right now," Klingbeil said at an event in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Klingbeil stressed that a response must be clear, adding that an answer to the U.S. threats is being coordinated among European states. "A line has been crossed here," he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States will impose 10-percent tariffs on all goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland over Greenland starting on Feb. 1.
The tariffs would increase to 25 percent on June 1, and would continue until a deal is reached for the United States to purchase Greenland, he said on social media.
Greenland, the world's largest island, is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining control over defense and foreign policy. The United States maintains a military base on the island.
Since returning to office in 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to "obtain" Greenland and has recently ramped up his threat.
Multiple German media outlets also reported on Sunday that a German reconnaissance team, which arrived in Nuuk on Friday, had completed its mission and was scheduled to leave the island on Sunday. Several European countries have sent military personnel to Greenland to take part in a joint mission. ■
