EU Confronts US 'Bully' Tactics After Trump's Greenland Gambit

European Union leaders are set to hold an emergency summit on Thursday to fundamentally reassess their relationship with the United States. The move comes after President Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs and potential military action to acquire Greenland shattered confidence in the transatlantic alliance.

Key issues on the table include:

• Developing strategies to reduce the EU's reliance on Washington.

• Addressing persistent worries over Trump's unpredictability and tariff threats.

• Seeking clarity on an unclear deal for U.S. control of Greenland.

• Debating, as one EU diplomat put it, "how we deal with this bully."

Although Trump abruptly reversed course on Wednesday, pulling back from his tariff threats against eight European nations and ruling out force to take Greenland, EU governments remain on high alert. Many view the U.S. president as unpredictable and believe Europe must now prepare to stand up for itself.

"Trump crossed the Rubicon. He might do it again. There is no going back to what it was," an EU diplomat stated, emphasizing the bloc's need to reduce its deep dependence on the U.S. "We need to try to keep him (Trump) close while working on becoming more independent from the U.S. It is a process, probably a long one."

Figure 1: U.S. President Donald Trump's unpredictable foreign policy, including recent threats over Greenland, has triggered an emergency EU summit on the future of the transatlantic relationship.

Europe's Economic and Military Dependencies

For decades, the EU has relied on Washington for its security under the NATO alliance. The bloc currently lacks the independent intelligence, transport, missile defense, and production capabilities needed to defend against a potential attack from Russia, giving the U.S. significant leverage.

Economically, the United States is Europe's largest trading partner, making the EU vulnerable to Trump's use of tariffs to shrink Washington's trade deficit and achieve other strategic goals, as demonstrated in the Greenland dispute.

"We need to discuss where the red lines are, how we deal with this bully across the Atlantic, where our strengths are," a second EU diplomat explained. "Trump says no tariffs today, but does that mean also no tariffs tomorrow, or will he again quickly change his mind? We need to discuss what to do then."

The Greenland 'Deal' and Europe's Response

In preparation for a trade conflict, the EU had readied a package of retaliatory tariffs on €93 billion ($108.74 billion) of U.S. imports and other anti-coercive measures. These were slated to activate if Trump had proceeded with his tariffs, which were scheduled to begin on February 1.

The standoff has already had consequences. On Wednesday, the European Parliament protested the U.S. pressure by suspending its work on ratifying the major U.S.-EU trade deal agreed upon in mid-2025.

Bernd Lange, a senior parliamentarian who chairs the trade committee, said that while the immediate U.S. threat was gone, the parliament requires clarity on the Greenland situation before resuming work on the trade agreement.

Uncertainty Looms as Leaders Seek Unity

Confusion surrounds the "framework deal" on Greenland that Trump announced he had reached with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. On Thursday, Trump claimed the U.S. would get "total access" at no cost, but details remain scarce.

"No one knows what this so-called solution is," said Lange. "We would need a clear yes from Denmark and Greenland. It cannot just be an agreement between two individuals. This means we will be making an assessment of whether there is a threat to EU sovereignty."

A third European diplomat echoed these concerns, stating the Greenland deal needs immediate explanation. "We are a bit fed up with all the bullying," the diplomat said. "And we need to act on a few things: more resiliency, unity, get our things together on internal market, competitiveness. And no more accepting tariff bullying."

NATO's Rutte told Reuters on Thursday that the deal involves Western allies increasing their Arctic presence, but did not provide specifics, adding that talks would continue between Denmark, Greenland, and the U.S.

Amid the rising tensions, some have called for a measured response. "Despite all the frustration and anger of recent months, let us not be too quick to write off the transatlantic partnership," urged German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.