United States President Donald Trump has linked his renewed push to acquire Greenland to what he described as Norway’s failure to award him the Nobel Peace Prize, according to messages exchanged with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
In a message first reported by PBS and later confirmed by an official in the Norwegian prime minister’s office, Trump said he no longer felt bound to think “purely of peace” after the Norwegian Nobel Committee declined to award him the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped eight wars plus, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,” Trump wrote.
Prime Minister Støre said the message was sent in response to a text he and Finnish President Alexander Stubb had earlier sent to Trump, conveying their opposition to his proposed tariff increases against Norway, Finland and several other European countries.
In a statement, Støre said he had clearly explained to Trump that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by an independent committee and not by the Norwegian government.
Trump’s remarks come amid escalating tensions between the United States and several European allies over his proposal to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, which is also a member of NATO.
Earlier this month, Trump threatened to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on goods from a number of European countries beginning February 1, citing their opposition to his Greenland plan.
In his message to Støre, Trump questioned Denmark’s claim to Greenland and argued that the territory was vital to U.S. national and global security.
“Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway? There are no written documents; it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there also,” he wrote.
Trump also framed his position within the context of NATO, saying the alliance should reciprocate what he described as his contributions to its strength.
“I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now NATO should do something for the United States. The world is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland,” he said.
The comments have further unsettled NATO allies, as the alliance built on the principle of collective defense grapples with the prospect of heightened tensions between member states.
While the United States has long been a cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic security and has spent more on defense than any other NATO country, European allies have also contributed significantly to U.S.-led military operations. Denmark, for example, lost 43 soldiers during the NATO mission in Afghanistan following the 2001 invasion.
Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration over not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, which he has long said he deserves for his foreign policy efforts, including conflict mediation.