BRUSSELS -- Leaders of EU countries will hold an emergency summit here on Thursday to discuss US threats related to Greenland, European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said on Monday.

The summit will assess possible retaliatory measures in response to threatened tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on countries that oppose his plan to "acquire" Greenland.

Gill said the EU continues to engage "at all levels" with Washington over its new tariff threats and is taking "every possible step" to protect the bloc's economic interests. He added that the use of the anti-coercion instrument is not ruled out.

He stressed that the priority is engagement rather than escalation with the United States. However, "should the threatened tariffs be imposed, the European Union has tools at its disposal and is prepared to respond," he added.