Italian Prime Minister calls Trump's Greenland tariff threat "a mistake"

Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, said on Sunday (January 18) that U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to impose new tariffs on European allies was a mistake and pushed for a resumption of dialogue to avoid escalation.

Speaking to journalists during a visit to South Korea, Meloni said that the allies’ contribution to Greenland 's security should have not been interpreted as an act against the U.S., but rather as a move to protect the territory from ‘other actors’.

Trump on Saturday (January 17) vowed to implement a wave of increasing tariffs on European allies until the United States is allowed to buy Greenland, escalating a row over the future of Denmark's vast Arctic island.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said additional 10% import tariffs would take effect on February 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Great Britain — all already subject to tariffs imposed by Trump.

Those tariffs would increase to 25% on June 1 and would continue until a deal was reached for the U.S. to purchase Greenland, Trump wrote.

Ambassadors from the European Union's 27 countries will convene on Sunday for an emergency meeting to discuss their response.

Production: Chiara Rodriquez/Reuters