Spanish PM Sanchez says US invasion of Greenland 'would make Putin happiest man on earth'

MADRID, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said a U.S. invasion of Greenland "would make Putin the happiest man on earth" in a newspaper interview published on Sunday. 

Sanchez said any military action by the U.S. against Denmark's vast Arctic island would damage NATO and legitimize the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

"If we focus on Greenland, I have to say that a U.S. invasion of that territory would make Vladimir Putin the happiest man in the world. Why? Because it would legitimize his attempted invasion of Ukraine," he said in an interview in La Vanguardia newspaper.

"If the United States were to use force, it would be the death knell for NATO. Putin would be doubly happy."

President Donald Trump on Saturday appeared to change tack over Greenland by vowing to implement a wave of increasing tariffs on European allies until the United States is allowed to buy Greenland.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said additional 10% import tariffs would take effect on February 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Great Britain — all already subject to tariffs imposed by Trump.

Those tariffs would increase to 25% on June 1 and would continue until a deal was reached for the U.S. to purchase Greenland, Trump wrote.

Trump has repeatedly insisted he will settle for nothing less than ownership of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have insisted the island is not for sale and does not want to be part of the United States.

(Graham Keeley;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)