US President Donald Trump said he will stop the opening of a bridge connecting the US and Canada unless Washington is "fully compensated for everything we have given them."

"Also, importantly, (until) Canada treats the United States with the fairness and respect that we deserve," Trump posted on Truth Social.

According to Trump, the US should own "at least half" of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Named after a Canadian ice hockey great, the bridge over the Detroit River links the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of Michigan.

The bridge's construction cost $4.7 billion (€3.95 billion), with documents by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority suggesting that the bridge was financed entirely by Canada and is owned by both the Canadian government and the US state of Michigan.

China to stop hockey in Canada, Trump claims

"We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY," Trump said, blaming Canada for owning both sides of the bridge while using "virtually" no US products to build it. The US president threatened 100% tariffs on Canada after Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to Beijing last month, in which he signed a preliminary trade deal with China.

Trump previously claimed that Canada should become the US's 51st state, which he dropped in recent months, while also repeating a rather outlandish claim that Beijing would "terminate" ice hockey — Canada's number one spectator sport — being played in the country.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently said world order is "in the midst of a rupture" due to the US' role.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko