UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Says ‘I won’t yield’ And Accuses Trump Of Attempting To Pressure Him Over Greenland

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated he will not give in to US President Donald Trump’s pressure regarding Greenland, characterizing Trump’s actions as tactics designed to make Britain change its position on the strategically important Arctic territory.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer rejected Trump’s recent criticism, where the US president called him guilty of “great stupidity” concerning the Chagos Islands and issued tariff warnings, interpreting these as efforts to make the UK compromise its “values and principles.”

“President Trump deployed words on Chagos yesterday that were different to his previous words of welcome and support when I met him in the White House,” Starmer said.

“He deployed those words yesterday for the express purpose of putting pressure on me and Britain in relation to my values and principles on the future of Greenland. He wants me to yield on my position and I am not going to do so.”

The confrontation occurred as tensions increased between Washington and European governments following Trump’s indication that he would implement 10 percent tariffs starting February 1 unless Britain and the EU supported his campaign for American authority over Danish-controlled Greenland.

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EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen pledged the bloc would remain “unflinching” in its reaction, while the prime minister announced that Danish premier Mette Frederiksen would visit Downing Street for emergency discussions.

Over a turbulent 24-hour period, Trump criticized European leaders, issued threats of 200 percent tariffs on French wine and champagne, made public private communications from Emmanuel Macron, and distributed AI-generated images depicting himself placing a US flag on Greenland. He additionally renewed earlier assertions about Canada by sharing a map colored in US hues.

The growing crisis has unsettled NATO, with observers cautioning that the alliance is experiencing its most serious division since its establishment in 1949.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves maintained the UK “would not be buffeted around” by tariff warnings, stating from Davos: “Britain is not here to be buffeted around. We’ve got an economic plan… If other countries want to increase trade barriers, that is their choice.”

She emphasized the trade agreement with Washington “would not be undone.”

The Bank of England is maintaining “high alert,” with Governor Andrew Bailey cautioning MPs that geopolitical instability might cause market fluctuations.

Concurrently, shadow Cabinet minister Alex Burghart characterized the disagreement as “the most dangerous moment for Europe since 1945,” cautioning: “There’s a risk that NATO is going to fall apart… if it does, it will probably mean that (Vladimir) Putin will win in Ukraine.”

Greenland continues to be central to the dispute. Positioned strategically between the Arctic and North Atlantic, the island is viewed as a crucial resource for missile defense, high-tech supply networks and developing shipping passages. It contains Pituffik Space Base, the US’s northernmost military facility, and possesses abundant rare earth minerals essential for defense and electronics.

Although security analysts observe the US already has extensive access via treaties, Trump has incorporated Greenland into his “Golden Dome” missile-defense initiative, calling it “vital” to America’s early-warning infrastructure.

Starmer’s resistance represents his most pointed public rebuke of Trump since taking office at No 10. The prime minister also denounced the tariff warning as “completely wrong.”

With NATO partners concerned, opposition politicians have called on Starmer to organize an urgent summit on Arctic security to avoid further decline.

As Britain attempts to balance relations with Washington, Copenhagen and Brussels at once, Downing Street currently confronts a geopolitical challenge encompassing defense, trade, and strategic assets, with the stability of alliance cooperation at stake.