Greenland is the world's biggest island and sits in the North Atlantic Ocean, between North America and Europe.

Most of the island is in the Arctic Circle and is covered by a permanent ice cap.

Trade: Melting ice due to climate change means shipping routes are opening up around Greenland's waters. This could also unlock access to minerals and fishing areas.

Natural resources: Greenland has potential oil, gas and key mineral reserves - including some seen by the US as critical to its national security - but the Arctic climate makes extracting them difficult.

Population: Around 57,000, mainly made up of indigenous Inuit. Most live in the south west, near the capital Nuuk.

Military: The US has had a military presence on the island since World War Two, when Nazi Germany occupied Denmark. Its only current base is Pituffik, while Denmark also has several military sites.

Politics: Autonomous territory of Denmark governs its own domestic affairs but not its defence policy. Most Greenland political parties are in favour of independence.

China has just responded to Trump’s latest threat to take over Greenland.

The US president has previously said: "I love the people of China. I love the people of Russia. But I don't want them as a neighbour in Greenland, not going to happen. And by the way, Nato's got to understand that."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun says: "International law, based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, is the foundation of the current international order and must be upheld.

"We urge the United States to stop using the so-called 'China threat' as an excuse to pursue its own interests."

Asked on BBC Breakfast if Keir Starmer should respond to Donald Trump's threats with his own tariffs, Chris Southworth - secretary general at the International Chamber of Commerce - says "that's probably not a clever move", as the UK is currently involved in trade negotiations with the US.

He thinks the focus should be on "taking the temperature down - let's get around the table, let's take the conversation off social media".

Turning to questions about whether King Charles should refuse the invitation for his upcoming state visit to the US in the current political climate, he says that the "the King's role will be important here", as he will "have concerns about Canada" as they have "huge concerns" around the Arctic space.

"Diplomacy is diplomacy, so we just have to apply whatever we can."

Image source, Reuters

The US believes its power matters more than international law, the head of the UN tells the BBC.

António Guterres tells Anna Foster on Radio 4's Today programme that Washington's "clear conviction" was that multilateral solutions were irrelevant.

What mattered, he adds, was the "exercise of the power and influence of the United States and sometimes in this respect by the norms of international law".

Guterres adds: "I think that people are sometimes reluctant to confront the powerful. But the truth is that if we don't confront the powerful, we will never be able to have a better world."

• You can hear more from Antonio Guterres on the Today programme by clicking listen live at the top of the page or read more here

'We haven't seen anything like this in 80 years,' one observer tells mepublished at 07:17 GMT

07:17 GMT

Chris Mason
Political editor

The prime minister will take to the Downing Street lectern this morning, after another extraordinary weekend of diplomatic turmoil prompted by US President Donald Trump.

Keir Starmer knows that people and businesses in the UK will expect him to respond, in front of the cameras, to the prospect of the UK and European allies being hammered by more US tariffs.

It is the latest twist in the row over Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory Trump wants to get his hands on.

One long-standing observer of Western diplomacy told me: "This is extraordinary. We haven't seen anything like this in 80 years.

Expect Starmer to reiterate that he believes the imposition of tariffs would be a mistake, and make clear that is something he spelt out directly to Trump on the phone on Sunday.

Starmer will attempt to argue in his news conference that international and domestic issues are indivisible – and that being actively involved and taken seriously on the international stage helps deal with many of the domestic concerns millions of voters will have.

• You can watch the Downing Street press conference live from around 09:15 GMT. In the meantime, you can read more on the issue in Chris Mason's article.

Robert Jenrick has urged Donald Trump to "change course" and "step back", urging the UK to oppose what he called "bully boy tactics".

The Reform UK MP, who defected from the Conservative Party last week, calls the US threats "completely wrong".

Jenrick tells our colleagues on BBC Breakfast it is "very important" that the UK prime minister now "gets round the table and negotiate with Donald Trump".

Jenrick did, however, highlight "serious concerns" about security in the Arctic for "our country, as well as the United States".

"We don't want to see China and Russia...starting to make inroads into that area."

Image source, Reuters

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has repeated her opposition to Donald Trump's proposed takeover of Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

Writing on social media, Frederiksen said on Sunday that "we want to cooperate and we are not the ones seeking conflict. And I am happy for the consistent messages from the rest of the continent: Europe will not be blackmailed."

Meanwhile, Greenland's representative to the US said the last time Greenlanders were asked if they wanted to be part of the US, in January 2025, only 6% were in favour of doing so, while 85% were against.

Last week, Greenland's Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, stated that if his people were asked to make a choice they would choose Denmark over the US.

Image source, Reuters

Trump issued his tariff threat on Saturday - and late on Sunday in the US, he doubled-down on his threats to take over Greenland in a new Truth Social post.

Nato had been telling Denmark to "get the Russian threat away from Greenland" for 20 years, Trump writes.

"Denmark has been unable to do anything about it," he continues. "Now it is time, and it will be done!!!"

The post comes after a long message on Saturday, when Trump said it was "time for Denmark to give back" now that "World Peace is at stake".

On Denmark's defence of Greenland, he said: "They currently have two dogsleds as protection, one added recently."

Trump called for the "complete and total purchase" of Greenland, adding that Denmark's supporters had created "a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable".

He concluded: "The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them, including maximum protection, over so many decades."

Image source, Reuters

Keir Starmer’s speech today comes a day after he held a phone call with Donald Trump, in which he told the US president that "applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is wrong".

According to a Downing Street spokesperson, Starmer also said on the call that "security in the high north is a priority for all Nato allies in order to protect Euro-Atlantic interests".

Trump and Starmer’s call was their first conversation since the US leader vowed on Saturday to impose a 10% levy on goods imported from eight European nations – including the UK – if they opposed his proposed takeover of the autonomous Danish territory.

Starmer also spoke to the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Image source, Reuters

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer set to address the nation at 09:15 GMT after US President Trump's threat to impose tariffs on allies opposing a US takeover of Greenland.

Trump says he will impose a 10% levy on goods imported from eight countries - Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK - on 1 February, rising to 25% in June, if they continue to oppose his efforts to take over Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.

In a phone call between Starmer and Trump on Sunday, the UK PM said it would be "wrong" to apply the tariffs and that "security in the high north is a priority for all Nato allies in order to protect Euro-Atlantic interests".

Downing Street said Starmer spoke to the Danish prime minister, the president of the European Commission and the Nato secretary general on Sunday, before calling Trump.

We're also hearing this morning from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who's been speaking to the BBC's Today programme.

We'll have live updates throughout the day as well as analysis and reporting from our correspondents.