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Trump ties Nobel Peace Prize rejection to Greenland claims
US President Donald Trump has declared he no longer feels bound to prioritize peace after Norway's Nobel Committee awarded this year's Peace Prize to Venezuela's opposition leader instead of him. In a text message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump directly blamed Norway for the decision and reiterated his demand for US control over Greenland.
Message to Norway's leader
Trump's message, confirmed by CBS News and the BBC, stated: "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, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the US." He added, "The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland."
"The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland."
Donald Trump, in a text to Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre
Støre's response and NATO tensions
Støre received Trump's message on Sunday, sent in reply to a joint text from him and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. The two leaders had urged Trump to abandon proposed tariff hikes tied to the Greenland dispute and suggested a three-way call to ease tensions. Trump, however, dismissed Denmark's ability to protect Greenland from Russia or China, questioning Denmark's historical claim to the island: "There are no written documents, it's only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago."
Threats of tariffs on NATO allies
Over the weekend, Trump announced plans to impose a 10% tariff on goods from eight NATO allies starting in February if they oppose his Greenland takeover bid. He threatened to raise the tariff to 25% by June. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the move on Monday, calling tariffs against allies "wrong" and asserting that Greenland's future "belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone."
Greenland's strategic importance
Trump has long argued that Greenland's location and resources make it vital for US national security. The Arctic island, home to 56,000 people, hosts early-warning systems for missile threats and monitors regional shipping. While Trump has repeatedly pushed to purchase Greenland, he has not ruled out military action against Denmark, a NATO member, to secure it.
Military buildup in the Arctic
Denmark and Greenland's governments, alongside NATO allies, recently agreed to expand military presence and exercises in the Arctic and North Atlantic. Several European nations have deployed small reconnaissance teams to Greenland in response to rising tensions.
Trump's claims of ending eight wars
In his message, Trump asserted he had "stopped 8 Wars" since his return to the presidency last year. The White House previously listed these as conflicts involving Israel-Hamas, Israel-Iran, Pakistan-India, Rwanda-DRC, Thailand-Cambodia, Armenia-Azerbaijan, Egypt-Ethiopia, and Serbia-Kosovo. However, BBC Verify found that several of these "wars" lasted only days, though they stemmed from long-standing tensions. In some cases, like Egypt and Ethiopia, no active fighting occurred. Despite a peace agreement, clashes between Rwanda and the DRC have continued.
Nobel Prize controversy
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. After US forces removed President Nicolás Maduro from power-accusing him of drug trafficking-Trump declined to endorse Machado as Venezuela's next leader, instead backing Maduro's vice president as interim head. Machado, who has praised Trump, met him at the White House last week and symbolically gave him her Nobel medal. The Nobel Foundation stated the award could not "even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed."
