British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's announced 10% tariffs on goods from the UK and seven other European countries until a Greenland purchase deal, calling them completely wrong for pursuing NATO Arctic security, in a statement posted on X between 7:16 p.m. and 7:46 p.m. UTC on January 17, 2026. Starmer stated, "Our position on Greenland is very clear - it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes. We have also made clear that Arctic Security matters for the whole of NATO and allies should all do more together to address the threat from Russia across different parts of the Arctic. Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration," according to @PolitlcsUK posts at https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2012605760362963012 and https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2012605158857810031. GB News commentator Ben Leo praised the tariffs as a "massive slap down for the globalists from President Trump," stating "President Trump is trying to save the West from itself," in a post reported in the same 29-minute window, according to https://x.com/GBNEWS/status/2012607102125265028. Starmer's remarks follow Trump's White House X post earlier on January 17 announcing 10% tariffs starting February 1 on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland, rising to 25% on June 1 until a Greenland deal, as confirmed in prior reports amid ongoing protests in Nuuk.
