Farage warns Trump Greenland threat risks rift
Nigel Farage has warned that Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland could trigger the most serious rupture in transatlantic relations since the 1956 Suez crisis, in a rare public clash with a senior U.S. Republican ally.
The Reform UK leader confronted U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson during an on-air interview on GB News, accusing the United States of committing a “very hostile act” against its own allies by threatening tariffs on countries that oppose Trump’s proposal to take control of Greenland, News.Az reports, citing Politico.
“Friends can disagree in private,” Farage told Johnson. “But to have a U.S. president threatening tariffs unless we agree that he can take over Greenland — without even the consent of the people of Greenland — this is a very hostile act.”
Johnson, visiting the United Kingdom and preparing to address the British parliament, defended Trump’s approach. He argued that the former president recognizes Greenland’s growing strategic importance and accused U.S. media of misrepresenting Trump by taking his statements “literally and not seriously.”
Farage said he shares Trump’s concerns over Arctic security and agreed that European nations have underfunded their own defense. However, he warned that escalating pressure on allies over Greenland could cause a lasting diplomatic break.
“This is the biggest fracture in our relationship since Suez,” Farage said. “If we don’t get past this, it would genuinely be a rupture.”
China and Russia’s expanding Arctic presence has made Greenland increasingly significant in global security calculations. Trump has repeatedly suggested the United States should gain control of the territory, alarming European partners and NATO allies.
Farage, long seen as one of Trump’s closest political allies in Britain, has recently criticized the proposal. He also opposed Trump’s reported plan to impose a 10 percent tariff on allied nations supporting Greenland’s autonomy, calling it “wrong” and “very hurtful” to the UK.
Despite the dispute, Farage said he hopes to speak directly with Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, signaling that while tensions are rising, lines of communication remain open.
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