‘By contrast, India’s response muted’: Brahma Chellaney on Europe’s sharp reaction to Trump’s tariff threat

Europe’s reaction to US President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs was forceful, unlike India’s which was “conspicuously muted”, said geostrategist Brahma Chellaney. He said despite the Indian government reiterating that it will not negotiate with a gun to its head, it is doing the exact same thing. 

“European leaders have pushed back forcefully against Trump’s announcement of a 10% tariff. Their responses have been unequivocal,” said Chellaney, adding, “By contrast, India’s response to Trump’s imposition of 50% tariffs nearly six months ago has remained conspicuously muted.”

He said instead of retaliating or pushing back publicly, India has continued to negotiate a trade deal with Washington – even as the punitive 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods continues. “Yet while Indian officials insist they will not negotiate “with a gun to our head,” New Delhi finds itself doing precisely that,” he observed.

WHY IS TRUMP THREATENING EUROPE?

Trump said on Saturday that the United States will impose additional tariffs on European countries unless allowed to acquire Greenland. In a post on Truth Social, Trump specified that a 10 per cent tariff on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and Great Britain would begin on February 1, increasing to 25 per cent on June 1. These tariffs, which build on existing measures, will remain in place until the US reaches a deal for the purchase of Greenland.

Trump has repeatedly stated he seeks nothing less than the ownership of Greenland, an autonomous territory under Denmark. Both Danish and Greenlandic leaders have consistently refused the proposal, confirming the island is not for sale. The president has stressed Greenland's strategic importance for US security, citing its location and mineral resources. He has not ruled out the use of force to secure the territory. 

Meanwhile, European nations deployed military personnel to Greenland at Denmark's request earlier this week.Protests took place in Denmark and Greenland on Saturday, with demonstrators calling for the island's right to self-determination.

European nations named by Trump have publicly supported Denmark, warning that a US military seizure of Greenland could threaten the integrity of NATO. Officials from Norway, Sweden, France, and Germany reiterated their support for Denmark, emphasising that tariffs should not influence discussions on Greenland.

"The president's announcement comes as a surprise," Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in a statement. Cyprus, which holds the EU presidency, has called for an emergency meeting of the bloc's 27 ambassadors to address the situation.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer strongly criticised the proposed tariffs, stating on X, "Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa stated in identical posts on X that the European Union stood in "full solidarity" with Denmark and Greenland.