EU foreign chief Kallas warns of major blow to US relations

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — European Union Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas stated on Friday that transatlantic relations have taken a "serious blow" over the past week following U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland.

EU leaders gathered for an emergency summit in Brussels to address the general state of relations and Arctic security after Trump threatened to impose a 10% tariff on eight European countries that opposed the U.S. annexation of Greenland. Kallas emphasized that the EU is navigating a period of significant unpredictability, noting that "one day everything goes in one direction, and the next day everything changes again." Despite the recent strain, Kallas affirmed that Europeans have no intention of discarding "80 years of good relations" with the United States.

EU response to U.S. tariff threats

The emergency summit was triggered earlier this week by President Trump’s announcement of retaliatory tariffs against nations opposing his Greenland policy. Although Trump withdrew the tariff threat by Wednesday, EU officials deemed the meeting necessary to evaluate long-term relations with an unpredictable U.S. administration. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted that the EU’s unified stance and its "firm but non-escalatory" dialogue with the U.S. had proven effective.

Arctic security and national sovereignty

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen welcomed the EU's "will to defend" its interests and noted that NATO allies support a permanent presence in the Arctic, including Greenland. Frederiksen clarified that Denmark’s sovereignty is not a matter for negotiation and insisted that cooperation with the U.S. must be conducted with "mutual respect, without making threats."

Concerns over Ukraine and trade agreements

The summit also followed criticisms from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who accused Europe of being slow in its decision-making processes regarding defense. Data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy indicates the EU allocated 188.6 billion euros to Ukraine between January 2022 and October 2025, though internal hesitations regarding military equipment shipments have frequently slowed progress. Meanwhile, the European Parliament announced its readiness to re-evaluate the EU-U.S. trade agreement approval process now that the tariff threats have been retracted. Parliament President Roberta Metsola suggested that negotiations could resume, though Trade Committee Chair Bernd Lange warned that there is "no room for a false sense of security."

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