U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated his confrontation with European allies over Greenland, linking his aggressive posture to last year’s decision not to award him the Nobel Peace Prize, according to a text message released on Monday by the Norwegian government.
In the message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump wrote: “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.”
AP cited on Tuesday that the message concluded with the declaration: “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
The exchange has intensified an already fraught standoff between Washington and close allies following Trump’s repeated threats to take over Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and a part of NATO’s strategic Arctic region.
On Saturday, Trump announced a 10 per cent import tax, due to take effect in February, on goods from eight countries that have expressed support for Denmark and Greenland, including Norway. Those nations issued a sharp rebuke, rejecting the use of economic pressure in the dispute.
European leaders have remained firm that Greenland is not for sale, while urging dialogue. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc had “no interest to pick a fight” but would “hold our ground.”
The White House has not ruled out the possibility of using force to gain control of the island. Asked whether Trump could invade Greenland, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said: “You can’t leave anything out until the president himself has decided to leave anything out.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to ease tensions, saying: “I think this can be resolved and should be resolved through calm discussion,” adding that he did not believe military action would take place.
Opposition within Greenland has also intensified. Thousands of Greenlanders marched over the weekend to protest against any attempt to take over the island. Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a Facebook post that tariff threats would not alter their position. “We will not be pressured,” he wrote.
Greenland’s minister for business, minerals, energy, justice and equality, Naaja Nathanielsen, told The Associated Press that the swift response from allied countries to the tariff threat showed broader concern. “This is about more than Greenland,” she said, adding: “I think a lot of countries are afraid that if they let Greenland go, what would be next?”
The Norwegian government said Trump’s message was sent in response to an earlier communication from Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, in which they opposed the tariff announcement, urged de-escalation and proposed a three-way telephone call.
Støre reiterated Norway’s position, saying: “Norway’s position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter.”
He also addressed Trump’s remarks about the Nobel Peace Prize, stating: “As regards the Nobel Peace Prize, I have clearly explained, including to President Trump what is well known, the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee and not the Norwegian Government.”
The White House confirmed the authenticity of Trump’s message. Deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said the president “is confident Greenlanders would be better served if protected by the United States from modern threats in the Arctic region.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed the suggestion that Trump’s stance was driven by resentment over the Nobel Prize.
Speaking to reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he said: “I think it’s a complete canard that the president would be doing this because of the Nobel,” although he added that he did not “know anything about the president’s letter to Norway.”
Trump has long expressed a desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Last year’s award went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. Last week, Machado presented her Nobel medal to Trump, who said he intended to keep it, despite the Nobel Committee stating that the prize cannot be revoked, transferred or shared.
European governments said recent deployments of small numbers of troops to Greenland were intended to assess Arctic security, partly in response to Trump’s own warnings about Russian and Chinese activity in the region.
Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson said European NATO members were conducting “a reconnaissance tour in order to identify what kind of needs there are when it comes to infrastructure and exercises and so forth.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he had discussed the importance of the Arctic for “collective security” in talks with the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland.
Six of the eight countries targeted by Trump’s proposed tariffs are members of the European Union, which operates as a single trade bloc.
European Council President António Costa said EU leaders had expressed “readiness to defend ourselves against any form of coercion” and announced that an emergency summit would be held on Thursday evening. - January 20, 2026
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