On January 17, Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund and special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, cautioned European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen against provoking U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Greenland.
In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Dmitriev wrote: “Dear Ursula ‘Pfizer’ von der Leyen, don’t provoke Daddy (Trump).”
The message also called for EU nations to retrieve 13 soldiers they had deployed to the Danish semi-autonomous territory of Greenland and suggested Western countries could face additional tariffs for each military personnel sent.
That same day, U.S. authorities imposed a 10% tariff on European nations. The European Commission warned that this action, in light of the Greenland situation, risks further deteriorating transatlantic relations. Michael Waltz, the United States’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated there were no violations of international law concerning Greenland.
An emergency meeting for EU ambassadors related to Greenland and U.S. tariffs was scheduled for Sunday, January 18, at 19:00 Moscow time.
