European leaders slam Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland

World news Conflict, Donald Trump, Economy, International Trade, News January 19, 2026

European leaders have condemned United States President Donald Trump’s threat to slap tariffs on countries that resist his bid to take over Greenland, warning the move risks a “dangerous downward spiral” in transatlantic ties.

In a joint statement on Sunday, the eight countries targeted by Trump for new tariffs said they “stand in full solidarity” with Denmark and the people of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.

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“Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind,” Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom said in the statement.

“Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.”

The rebuke came as European officials were preparing to hold emergency talks on coordinating a response to Trump’s escalating pressure campaign over the future of the vast island.

European Council President Antonio Costa said on Sunday that the bloc was united in upholding national sovereignty and to “defend ourselves against any form of coercion” ahead of a planned extraordinary meeting of member states in the coming days.

European officials are expected to discuss a range of options for responding to Trump’s economic threats, including retaliatory tariffs and market restrictions for US firms.

Trump announced on Saturday that the eight countries would face a 10 percent tariff from February 1, rising to 25 percent from June 1, until a deal is reached for the US to buy Greenland.

The Financial Times reported that the bloc was considering imposing 93 billion euros ($108bn) worth of tariffs on US goods as well as activating the Anti-Coercion Instrument, commonly known as the “trade bazooka”, adopted by the bloc in 2023.

The mechanism, which has never been used, allows for sweeping restrictions on investments and the withdrawal of intellectual property protections for foreign firms in the bloc.

“The Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), designed precisely for such cases, must now be used,” German MEP Bernd Lange, who chairs the European Parliament’s trade committee, said in a post on X.

“I call on the European Commission to activate it immediately.”

Trump’s insistence on controlling Greenland has plunged US-European relations to their lowest point in decades, prompting fears for the survival of NATO.

Trump, who has not ruled out the use of military force to seize the territory, has brushed aside concerns about splitting the 32-member transatlantic alliance, which is built on the principle that an armed attack against any one member is considered an attack against all.

Trump reiterated his determination for the US to take ownership of Greenland in a social media post early on Monday, claiming that Denmark had been “unable to do anything” about Russian threats to the territory.

“Now it is time, and it will be done!!!” Trump said on Truth Social.

Denmark has ruled out selling Greenland, and opinion polls suggest the vast majority of the island’s 57,000 residents do not wish to be part of the US.

On Saturday, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Danish cities to rally against Trump’s threats, chanting “Greenland is not for sale” and holding banners with slogans such as “Hands off Greenland”.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Sunday expressed appreciation for the “strong support” being offered to her country.

“We want to cooperate, and it is not us who are seeking conflict. And I am pleased by the consistent messages from the rest of the continent: Europe will not be blackmailed,” Frederiksen said in a statement on social media.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that “no intimidation or threat” would influence his government’s position on Greenland.

“Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context,” Macron said on social media.

“Europeans will respond in a united and coordinated manner should they be confirmed. We will ensure that European sovereignty is upheld.”

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump’s planned tariffs “completely wrong”.

“We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration,” he said on social media.

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Updated: 18/04/2026 – 12:00 GMT+2

Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this April 18th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.

Updated: 18/04/2026 – 12:00 GMT+2

Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this April 18th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.

Syrians wait at a border crossing as refugees — More than 270,000 Syrians returned from Lebanon since March even though observers warn the country is not ready to host them Image: Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO

A boy jumps off the back of the rusted and charred remains of abandoned military vehicles — More than 270,000 Syrians returned from Lebanon since March even though observers warn the country is not ready to host them Image: Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO

#Displaced #Iran #war #Lebanon #Syrian #crisis">

Displaced by Iran war: out of Lebanon, into Syrian crisisIt was the shelling that drove Syrian man Imad Omar Qashit from his home again. Fourteen years ago, he fled from Syria to Lebanon. This time, it was the other way round.

“When Israeli missiles destroyed entire homes in my neighborhood in southern Lebanon’s city of Tyre, we decided it was time to save our lives again,” the 52-year-old told DW.

In early March, Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East war after local group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, fired rockets into Israel, ostensibly in retaliation for the Israeli killing of Iran’s leader.

On Thursday, a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was brokered by the US but before that, more than 227,549 people had crossed the three official border points from Lebanon into Syria, according to the latest numbers from the United Nation’s International Organization for Migration (IOM). The vast majority, 95%, were Syrians, while 5% were Lebanese nationals.

Lebanon’s health authorities say the death toll from Israel’s attacks on the Hezbollah militia is around 2,196. The ministry does not provide a breakdown by nationality and estimates of how many Syrians are among the killed and injured range widely, from 39 to 315. According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, more than 1 million Syrian refugees are still registered in Lebanon, with hundreds of thousands more believed to be in the country without registration.More than 270,000 Syrians returned from Lebanon since March even though observers warn the country is not ready to host them Image: Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO

Protracted crisis

Once Qashit and his family arrived back in their home town Maarat al-Numan near Aleppo, they found their house completely destroyed as a result of Syria’s civil war, which only ended in December 2024 after a coalition of rebel groups ousted Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar Assad.

“There are no houses for rent as the whole city is destroyed,” Qashit told DW. For the time being, they are staying with his sister.

Another Syrian, Mohammad Jassem al-Brouk, fled Israeli strikes in Lebanon two weeks ago. “It was extremely crowded at the border crossing and it took an entire day to get through,” he told DW.

When he eventually arrived at his family home in the city of Qusair near Homs, he only found remnants of the house. With no other option, he unpacked his tent from the refugee camp in Lebanon, set it up, and is now living in it. Despite his lack of housing, he has no intention of returning to Lebanon.

Earlier in April, a survey by the UN’s refugee agency, the UNHCR, found that around half of the Syrians they had interviewed also said that they intend to remain permanently in Syria despite economic challenges and limited state services.

“Syrians are returning because Lebanon has become unlivable, rather than Syria being ready to receive them,” Nanar Hawach, senior Syria analyst at the International Crisis Group, confirms. “The government can manage the border but it has no answer for what happens after that,” he said. In his view, the hundreds of thousands of returnees should not be read as a sign that conditions inside Syria have improved.Areas that were contested during the Syrian civil war are often contaminated with unexploded devices that pose a danger to returning SyriansImage: Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Anadolu/picture alliance

Legacy of war

Syria continues to struggle with the legacy of more than a decade of conflict. Despite sanctions being lifted and Syria’s return to the international fold, sectarian clashes and political instability still compound the country’s problems.

The World Bank’s damage assessment estimates total reconstruction costs at about 6 billion (€200 billion). Basic services, including education, health care and infrastructure, remain limited and the humanitarian situation for the around 26 million people is dire.

According to the UN, around 15.6 million Syrians require humanitarian assistance and 13.3 million Syrians are food-insecure. A severe drought in 2025 devastated 95% of rainfed crops, the UN 2025 food security assessment report notes.

“Syria was already in a protracted humanitarian crisis before this new wave of returns,” Hiba Zayadin, senior researcher in the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch, told DW. “The infrastructure simply isn’t there to absorb large numbers of people, many of whom left with nothing and are returning to the same.” Before the US-brokered ceasefire, Israel demolished large parts of southern Lebanon and Tyre, prompting Syrian refugees to pack up and leaveImage: Louisa Gouliamaki/REUTERS

Risk of unexploded devices

These are not the only issues. Syria is also one of the most contaminated countries in the world when it comes to explosive remnants. “Years of aerial bombardment, ground fighting and the use of cluster munitions across multiple governorates have left vast areas littered with unexploded ordnance, or UXO, landmines and improvised explosive devices,” Zayadin continued.

“The danger is very real,” Iain Overton confirmed. He’s the executive director of the UK-based organization, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) which records evidence of armed violence against civilians worldwide.

He also warned that UXO contamination remains particularly acute in areas that have seen sustained fighting and shifting frontlines, including parts of Raqqa, Deir el-Zour, Aleppo, Idlib and rural Homs and Hama. “These are precisely the areas to which many refugees are returning,” he told DW, adding that children and returnees unfamiliar with contaminated environments are especially vulnerable.

“Even in the absence of active hostilities, the legacy of explosive violence continues to kill and injure,” Overton said, adding that the trend is worsening. In 2024, AOAV recorded 238 UXO incidents causing 508 casualties. Of these, 479 were civilians. By 2025, this had risen sharply to 794 incidents and 1,537 casualties, including 1,424 civilians.

For Qashit and his family, recently returned from Lebanon, these is just one more thing to worry about. “My children would not recognize unexploded mines when they are playing outside,” he said, concerned.

Back to Yarmouk: A Syrian family rebuilds and seeks justice To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Edited by: C. Schaer
#Displaced #Iran #war #Lebanon #Syrian #crisis

mwasimuddin125 0

It was the shelling that drove Syrian man Imad Omar Qashit from his home again. Fourteen years ago, he fled from Syria to Lebanon. This time, it was the other way round.

“When Israeli missiles destroyed entire homes in my neighborhood in southern Lebanon’s city of Tyre, we decided it was time to save our lives again,” the 52-year-old told DW.

In early March, Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East war after local group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, fired rockets into Israel, ostensibly in retaliation for the Israeli killing of Iran’s leader.

On Thursday, a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was brokered by the US but before that, more than 227,549 people had crossed the three official border points from Lebanon into Syria, according to the latest numbers from the United Nation’s International Organization for Migration (IOM). The vast majority, 95%, were Syrians, while 5% were Lebanese nationals.

Lebanon’s health authorities say the death toll from Israel’s attacks on the Hezbollah militia is around 2,196. The ministry does not provide a breakdown by nationality and estimates of how many Syrians are among the killed and injured range widely, from 39 to 315. According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, more than 1 million Syrian refugees are still registered in Lebanon, with hundreds of thousands more believed to be in the country without registration.
More than 270,000 Syrians returned from Lebanon since March even though observers warn the country is not ready to host them Image: Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO

Protracted crisis

Once Qashit and his family arrived back in their home town Maarat al-Numan near Aleppo, they found their house completely destroyed as a result of Syria’s civil war, which only ended in December 2024 after a coalition of rebel groups ousted Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar Assad.

“There are no houses for rent as the whole city is destroyed,” Qashit told DW. For the time being, they are staying with his sister.

Another Syrian, Mohammad Jassem al-Brouk, fled Israeli strikes in Lebanon two weeks ago. “It was extremely crowded at the border crossing and it took an entire day to get through,” he told DW.

When he eventually arrived at his family home in the city of Qusair near Homs, he only found remnants of the house. With no other option, he unpacked his tent from the refugee camp in Lebanon, set it up, and is now living in it. Despite his lack of housing, he has no intention of returning to Lebanon.

Earlier in April, a survey by the UN’s refugee agency, the UNHCR, found that around half of the Syrians they had interviewed also said that they intend to remain permanently in Syria despite economic challenges and limited state services.

“Syrians are returning because Lebanon has become unlivable, rather than Syria being ready to receive them,” Nanar Hawach, senior Syria analyst at the International Crisis Group, confirms. “The government can manage the border but it has no answer for what happens after that,” he said. In his view, the hundreds of thousands of returnees should not be read as a sign that conditions inside Syria have improved.

Areas that were contested during the Syrian civil war are often contaminated with unexploded devices that pose a danger to returning SyriansImage: Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Anadolu/picture alliance

Legacy of war

Syria continues to struggle with the legacy of more than a decade of conflict. Despite sanctions being lifted and Syria’s return to the international fold, sectarian clashes and political instability still compound the country’s problems.

The World Bank’s damage assessment estimates total reconstruction costs at about $216 billion (€200 billion). Basic services, including education, health care and infrastructure, remain limited and the humanitarian situation for the around 26 million people is dire.

According to the UN, around 15.6 million Syrians require humanitarian assistance and 13.3 million Syrians are food-insecure. A severe drought in 2025 devastated 95% of rainfed crops, the UN 2025 food security assessment report notes.

“Syria was already in a protracted humanitarian crisis before this new wave of returns,” Hiba Zayadin, senior researcher in the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch, told DW. “The infrastructure simply isn’t there to absorb large numbers of people, many of whom left with nothing and are returning to the same.”

Before the US-brokered ceasefire, Israel demolished large parts of southern Lebanon and Tyre, prompting Syrian refugees to pack up and leaveImage: Louisa Gouliamaki/REUTERS

Risk of unexploded devices

These are not the only issues. Syria is also one of the most contaminated countries in the world when it comes to explosive remnants. “Years of aerial bombardment, ground fighting and the use of cluster munitions across multiple governorates have left vast areas littered with unexploded ordnance, or UXO, landmines and improvised explosive devices,” Zayadin continued.

“The danger is very real,” Iain Overton confirmed. He’s the executive director of the UK-based organization, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) which records evidence of armed violence against civilians worldwide.

He also warned that UXO contamination remains particularly acute in areas that have seen sustained fighting and shifting frontlines, including parts of Raqqa, Deir el-Zour, Aleppo, Idlib and rural Homs and Hama. “These are precisely the areas to which many refugees are returning,” he told DW, adding that children and returnees unfamiliar with contaminated environments are especially vulnerable.

“Even in the absence of active hostilities, the legacy of explosive violence continues to kill and injure,” Overton said, adding that the trend is worsening. In 2024, AOAV recorded 238 UXO incidents causing 508 casualties. Of these, 479 were civilians. By 2025, this had risen sharply to 794 incidents and 1,537 casualties, including 1,424 civilians.

For Qashit and his family, recently returned from Lebanon, these is just one more thing to worry about. “My children would not recognize unexploded mines when they are playing outside,” he said, concerned.

Back to Yarmouk: A Syrian family rebuilds and seeks justice

Edited by: C. Schaer

#Displaced #Iran #war #Lebanon #Syrian #crisis">Displaced by Iran war: out of Lebanon, into Syrian crisis

It was the shelling that drove Syrian man Imad Omar Qashit from his home again. Fourteen years ago, he fled from Syria to Lebanon. This time, it was the other way round.

“When Israeli missiles destroyed entire homes in my neighborhood in southern Lebanon’s city of Tyre, we decided it was time to save our lives again,” the 52-year-old told DW.

In early March, Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East war after local group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, fired rockets into Israel, ostensibly in retaliation for the Israeli killing of Iran’s leader.

On Thursday, a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was brokered by the US but before that, more than 227,549 people had crossed the three official border points from Lebanon into Syria, according to the latest numbers from the United Nation’s International Organization for Migration (IOM). The vast majority, 95%, were Syrians, while 5% were Lebanese nationals.

Lebanon’s health authorities say the death toll from Israel’s attacks on the Hezbollah militia is around 2,196. The ministry does not provide a breakdown by nationality and estimates of how many Syrians are among the killed and injured range widely, from 39 to 315. According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, more than 1 million Syrian refugees are still registered in Lebanon, with hundreds of thousands more believed to be in the country without registration.

Protracted crisis

“There are no houses for rent as the whole city is destroyed,” Qashit told DW. For the time being, they are staying with his sister.

Another Syrian, Mohammad Jassem al-Brouk, fled Israeli strikes in Lebanon two weeks ago. “It was extremely crowded at the border crossing and it took an entire day to get through,” he told DW.

Legacy of war

A woman walks next to an ambulance — Before the US-brokered ceasefire, Israel demolished large parts of southern Lebanon and Tyre, prompting Syrian refugees to pack up and leaveImage: Louisa Gouliamaki/REUTERS

Risk of unexploded devices

“Even in the absence of active hostilities, the legacy of explosive violence continues to kill and injure,” Overton said, adding that the trend is worsening. In 2024, AOAV recorded 238 UXO incidents causing 508 casualties. Of these, 479 were civilians. By 2025, this had risen sharply to 794 incidents and 1,537 casualties, including 1,424 civilians.

For Qashit and his family, recently returned from Lebanon, these is just one more thing to worry about. “My children would not recognize unexploded mines when they are playing outside,” he said, concerned.

Back to Yarmouk: A Syrian family rebuilds and seeks justice

Edited by: C. Schaer

#Displaced #Iran #war #Lebanon #Syrian #crisis

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Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this April 18th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.

Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this April 18th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.

Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this April 18th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.

Protracted crisis

Legacy of war

Risk of unexploded devices

Back to Yarmouk: A Syrian family rebuilds and seeks justice

Protracted crisis

Legacy of war

Risk of unexploded devices

Back to Yarmouk: A Syrian family rebuilds and seeks justice

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