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Responding “in kind” to Donald Trump’s tariff threats would be a better way forward than boycotting the World Cup, the SNP’s Westminster leader has suggested.

Stephen Flynn said the football tournament seems “somewhat small fry” in the face of the current “extremely serious” global situation with the US president’s threats over Greenland and tariffs.

Tensions between the US and Europe have flared over Mr Trump’s plans to take control of Greenland.

He has threatened to hit Britain and other European allies with 10% tariffs from February 1 unless they agree to his purchase of Greenland, and he has refused to rule out using military force to seize the island.

Some MPs have called for a boycott of the World Cup in response, and Mr Flynn was asked about the idea in an interview on BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme on Wednesday.

He said: “There’s maybe a thought process among some that that’s something that Donald Trump’s going to be interested in, but I would simply say to them that when the president’s seeking to impose tariffs upon European nations, including of course Britain itself, the strength of response is more likely to be acknowledged if we respond in kind.

“That’s something which the European Union is, of course, looking at in great detail.

“I think we should be looking to work with our European allies in that context, this is an extremely serious situation, and a World Cup feels somewhat small fry in that context.”

Scotland is preparing to head to North America this summer after qualifying for the men’s World Cup for the first time since 1998.

Suggestions about a boycott come against a background of war in Europe and concerns over the future of the Nato alliance.

Mr Flynn told the BBC: “This is a deeply serious time, and of course all of us are concerned about the impact that the president’s actions are going to have upon European security, upon the ability for us to deal with the threats that we face.

“I’m pretty certain that most of your listeners would consider a boycott of the World Cup to be quite low down their priority list in terms of how you respond to the president.

“Without being flippant, we have boycotted the World Cup proactively since 1998 and I’m not entirely sure that’s a route that we want to go down again.

“Instead I think we need serious and committed international dialogue with our allies on the European continent, and indeed the likes of Canada, where (Canadian prime minister) Mark Carney has shown fantastic leadership, and that’s the way I would much prefer that we went down.”

Mr Flynn said it is important to try and retain the unity between Europe and the entire West when it comes to dealing with the conflict in Ukraine.

He said the situation over Greenland is “unprecedented”, adding: “What we can’t do is simply let the strong man win.

“We need to make sure that we work together proactively to stand firm and show strength, which is something which I think Donald Trump as president would recognise and respond to.”