President Donald Trump stated he would "100%" follow through on his threat to impose tariffs on European countries opposing his efforts to gain control of Greenland. The announcement came as the European Union vowed to protect its interests in the matter.

Trump's declaration, made in a post on Truth Social early Tuesday morning, followed a phone call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, with whom he agreed to a meeting in Switzerland involving "various parties." The proposed tariffs target goods arriving in the U.S. from the UK and seven other NATO-allied countries.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the bloc has "no interest to pick a fight, but we will hold our ground," signaling a firm stance against the threatened tariffs.

European allies have largely rallied around Greenland's sovereignty. Denmark's foreign minister emphasized that the U.S. president cannot threaten his way to ownership of the semi-autonomous Danish territory. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reiterated the UK's position that the future of Greenland is for "Greenlanders and for the Danes alone" to decide.

The dispute originated when Trump expressed interest in purchasing Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, prompting strong reactions from both Denmark and the EU. On Monday, Trump declined to rule out the use of force in pursuing his aims.