Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that a US military attack on Greenland would make Russian President Vladimir Putin the happiest man in the world and signal the death knell for NATO. He made the remarks in an interview published Sunday in the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, according to Reuters. Sánchez argued that any US military action against Denmark’s vast Arctic island would damage NATO and legitimize Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The comments came after former US President Donald Trump shifted his stance on Greenland, pledging to raise tariffs on European allies until the United States is allowed to purchase the island. In a Truth Social post, Trump announced that starting February 1, a 10 percent import tariff would apply to goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and Great Britain, rising to 25 percent on June 1 if no purchase deal is reached. Danish and Greenlandic leaders have reiterated that the island is not for sale and that they do not wish to become part of the United States.

Sánchez’s warning underscores growing tensions between Washington and European allies over Greenland and NATO’s unity amid global geopolitical strains.