COPENHAGEN, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on European nations that do not let him acquire Greenland "come as a surprise", Denmark's foreign minister said Saturday in a statement sent to AFP.

"The purpose of the increased military presence in Greenland, to which the president refers, is precisely to enhance security in the Arctic," said Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

"We are in close contact with the European Commission and our other partners on the matter," he added, speaking just days after attending talks in the White House with US and Greenlandic officials on the Greenland question.