UK says tariff threats 'are no way to treat allies'

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Tuesday reiterated the UK's objection to US President Donald Trump's plan to impose tariffs on Europeans over Greenland, saying it is not the right way to treat allies.

"Tariff threats are no way to treat allies," Cooper told a parliamentary session in the House of Commons, referring to Trump's recent announcement.

On Saturday, Trump said Washington would impose 10% tariffs on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland from Feb. 1, rising to 25% in June until there is a deal for "the complete and total purchase of Greenland."

However, Cooper noted that it is important to strengthen international cooperation on issues like Arctic security, while respecting sovereignty and collective security, which means the sovereignty of Greenland at its heart.

"The future of Greenland is a matter for the Greenlanders and for the Danes alone," the foreign secretary stressed, adding that the allies will increase security support across the Arctic region.

- UK 'will never compromise' on national security

On the Chagos Islands, Cooper reiterated that the UK "will never compromise" on its national security, noting that the agreement they have struck is vital for protecting the country's national security and that of its allies.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump criticized the UK plan to hand over sovereignty of a small group of islands in the Indian Ocean to the East African country of Mauritius, calling the deal "an act of great stupidity."

Last May, Britain signed a deal handing over the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in exchange for securing a strategically important UK-US military base.

Under the deal, the East African nation gains control of the Chagos Archipelago from the UK, allowing the US and UK to continue operating a strategically important Diego Garcia military base for the next 99 years.

Following Trump's remarks, a government spokesperson said in a statement that the deal has been publicly welcomed by the US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, as well as other international partners, including India, Japan, and South Korea.

- Humanitarian crisis in Gaza is 'still in dire situation'

Responding to questions on the crippling humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Cooper said that there is a need for much greater access through crossings, and the lifting of barriers to aid, in order to deal with this humanitarian crisis.

"The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is still in dire situation, because of the winter conditions and a lack of urgently needed aid," she noted.

Asked about Israel's move to ban international NGOs from operating in Gaza humanitarian efforts, the foreign secretary stressed that the deregistration of vital international NGOs who do incredible humanitarian work, including providing life-saving services, is "incredibly damaging."

"We need to maintain this fragile ceasefire, but also make progress for peace and also ultimately for the two-state solution that is in the interest of the people of Israel, and the people of Palestine," added Cooper.

She also reiterated that UN premises are inviolable under international law, recalling that the UK has condemned Israeli authorities for entering the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) compound in East Jerusalem without prior authorization.

In response to a question about increasing settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Hamish Falconer, the British minister for the Middle East, said that the UK is "deeply concerned" about the escalating settler attacks, noting that those attacks reached new heights.

"We need the government of Israel to abide by its obligations around settlements and also around settler violence," he added.

- 'Gaza should be run by Palestinians'

Asked about Trump's "Board of Peace" on Gaza, Cooper said that the proposals that have been put forward now are "very different" from what had been previously expected around Gaza.

"So it's right that there are further international discussions underway on this," she added.

She went on to say that the most important organization network now for the future of Gaza is the Palestinian committee, the National Administration Committee for Gaza, comprising Palestinians.

"Gaza should be run by Palestinians. That is crucial, and that is what we should now be supporting to take forward," Cooper stressed.

About the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the board, Cooper said: "Putin is not a man of peace, and I don't think he belongs in any organization with peace in the name."

The White House last week announced the formation of the Board of Peace, saying it will "play an essential role in fulfilling" the 20 points of Trump's plan to permanently end Israel's war on Gaza and rebuild the enclave, as well as "providing strategic oversight, mobilizing international resources, and ensuring accountability as Gaza transitions from conflict to peace and development."

The Trump administration has invited many foreign leaders, including those from Arab, Asian, and Western nations, to join the board.