BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
U.S. President Donald Trump has linked his increasingly aggressive posture toward Greenland to last year’s decision not to award him the Nobel Peace Prize, telling Norway’s prime minister in a private message that he no longer felt bound to think “purely of Peace,” according to a text released publicly on Monday by the Norwegian government.
The message to Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre marks a further escalation in an already tense standoff between Washington and some of its closest allies over Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland, a self-governing Arctic territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and a part of the NATO alliance. Over the weekend, Trump announced that the United States would impose a 10% import tax beginning in February on goods from eight countries that have rallied in support of Denmark and Greenland, including Norway. He warned the tariffs could rise sharply if no agreement is reached.
The targeted countries responded with unusually blunt criticism, accusing the U.S. president of economic coercion and warning that the dispute risks undermining transatlantic stability. The White House has also declined to rule out the possibility of taking control of Greenland by force, a stance that has alarmed European capitals.
Asked whether the United States could invade Greenland, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Monday that nothing could be ruled out until the president explicitly ruled it out himself. Speaking after a meeting in London with British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Rasmussen urged Washington to lower the temperature and engage in dialogue rather than threats.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also sought to calm the situation, saying he believed the dispute could and should be resolved through measured discussion. He said he did not believe military action would occur, but stressed that the current rhetoric was deeply unhelpful.
Tensions have been rising rapidly. Over the weekend, thousands of Greenlanders took to the streets in protests rejecting any attempt by the United States to assert control over their island. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a social media post on Monday that tariff threats would not alter Greenland’s position.
“We will not be pressured,” he wrote.
Greenland’s minister responsible for business, energy and equality said the swift backing from European partners had been deeply meaningful and underscored that the dispute extends beyond the island itself. She said many countries appear concerned that conceding on Greenland would set a dangerous precedent, raising questions about what might come next.
The controversy sharpened with the release of Trump’s text message to Støre, sent on Sunday in response to an appeal from the Norwegian leader and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. In their message, the two leaders urged de-escalation, objected to the tariff announcement and proposed a direct phone conversation.
In his reply, Trump wrote that because Norway had not awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize despite what he described as having “stopped 8 Wars PLUS,” he no longer felt obligated to focus solely on peace, though he said it would remain a priority. He concluded with a stark assertion: “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
Støre said the message was deeply concerning and reiterated Norway’s firm position. He stressed that Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and that Norway fully supports Denmark’s sovereignty. He also emphasized that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by an independent committee appointed by Norway’s parliament, not by the Norwegian government, a point he said he has previously explained directly to Trump.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee operates independently, and its decisions cannot be directed, revoked or transferred by political leaders.
In Washington’s defense, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rejected the idea that Trump’s actions were motivated by resentment over the Nobel Prize. Speaking briefly to reporters in Davos, Switzerland, where world leaders are gathered for the annual World Economic Forum, Bessent said it was “a complete canard” to suggest the prize was driving policy, even as he acknowledged he was not familiar with the contents of Trump’s message to Norway.
Bessent said the president views Greenland primarily through a strategic lens, describing the island as vital to U.S. security interests in the Arctic. He added that the administration does not intend to rely on other countries to safeguard what it considers its hemispheric security.
Trump has long expressed interest in the Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded last year to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. Machado later presented her medal to Trump during a public appearance, a gesture the Nobel Committee said does not alter ownership of the prize, which cannot be transferred or shared.
Trump’s latest tariff threat appeared to be partly framed as retaliation for the recent deployment of small numbers of European troops to Greenland, a move he criticized even as he suggested the tariffs could also serve as leverage in negotiations with Denmark. European governments countered that the troop deployments were symbolic and intended to assess Arctic security in response to concerns repeatedly raised by Washington itself about growing Russian and Chinese activity in the region.
Starmer called the tariff threat “completely wrong” and warned that a trade war would benefit no one. He said pragmatism should not be confused with passivity and that partnerships must still be grounded in principle.
Six of the eight countries targeted by Trump’s tariff plan are members of the European Union, which functions as a single trade bloc. European Council President António Costa said EU leaders have expressed readiness to defend themselves against any form of economic coercion and confirmed that an emergency summit will be held later this week.
Britain, which is no longer part of the EU, has indicated it is not currently considering retaliatory tariffs. Starmer said his priority is to prevent the dispute from reaching that stage.
Meanwhile, Denmark’s defense minister and Greenland’s foreign minister are expected to meet NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Brussels on Monday. The meeting was scheduled before the latest escalation but is now likely to take on added significance as allies grapple with one of the most serious internal crises the alliance has faced in decades.
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