President Trump sent a message to Norway’s prime minister, saying he no longer feels “an obligation to think purely of peace” because he didn’t receive the Nobel Peace Prize and that only U.S. control of Greenland can ensure global security.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said he received the message Sunday linking the Nobel snub to Mr. Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on NATO allies that oppose his goal of acquiring Greenland.
“Norway’s position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter,” Mr. Gahr Store said in a statement. “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.”
Mr. Trump said NATO has been pushing Denmark for decades to take more initiative in protecting Greenland from Russian threats. “Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to do anything about it. Now is the time, and it will be done,” Mr. Trump said.
Last week, Denmark said it would expand its presence in Greenland and hold military exercises with allies.
“Security in the Arctic is of crucial importance to the Kingdom of Denmark and our Arctic allies, and it is therefore important that we, in close cooperation with our allies, further strengthen our ability to operate in the region,” Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement. “The Danish armed forces, together with a number of Arctic and European allies, will explore in the coming weeks how an increased presence and exercise activity in the Arctic can be implemented in practice.”
This week, Mr. Trump is expected to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where world leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will likely raise objections to Mr. Trump’s move on Greenland.
Ms. von der Leyen met with a congressional delegation in Davos about a range of issues on Monday, including Greenland.
“I also addressed the need to unequivocally respect the sovereignty of Greenland and of the Kingdom of Denmark,” she wrote on social media.
“This is of utmost importance to our transatlantic relationship.”
Mr. Trump’s message, first reported by PBS, questions Denmark’s right to claim ownership of Greenland, a semiautonomous island in the Arctic region.
“There are no written documents; it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there also,” Mr. Trump said.
Two European officials said Mr. Trump’s message to Mr. Gahr Store read in part: “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 United States of America.”
It concluded: “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
Mr. Trump’s ambitions for Greenland have prompted NATO allies to advocate for a “united and coordinated” response.
“France is committed to the sovereignty and independence of nations, in Europe and elsewhere,” French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday. “We will ensure that European sovereignty is upheld.”
The European Union plans to hold a summit in Brussels Friday with the leaders of all 27 members to discuss the crisis.
European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas said Mr. Trump’s not particularly veiled threats to occupy Greenland serve no one’s interests outside of Moscow and Beijing. “The high tariffs he’s considering will serve only to make both Europe and the U.S. poorer and undermine shared prosperity,” Ms. Kallas said.
“China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among allies,” she said on X. “If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO.”
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Mr. Trump’s push for Greenland “extraordinary” as a matter of international law. He recently told reporters in Moscow that the Kremlin considers Greenland to be part of Denmark.
China, meanwhile, has begun referring to itself as a “near Arctic” state and insists that its activities in the region aim to promote “peace, stability and sustainable development.”
“We urge the U.S. to stop using the so-called ‘China threat’ as a pretext for itself to seek selfish gains,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Monday. “The U.N. charter is the foundation of the current international order and must be upheld.”
Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian businessman with close ties to Mr. Putin, dismissed Europe’s confidence in its ability to prevail over Mr. Trump.
“Europe will cave in, the U.S. will get Greenland (and) transatlantic unity may be somewhat restored,” Mr. Dmitriev said Monday on X.
Starting Feb. 1, Britain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Finland and the Netherlands — all NATO allies — will face a 10% tariff on all goods sent to the U.S. The tariff will increase to 25% on June 1, Mr. Trump posted on social media.
“This tariff will be due and payable until such time a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland,” the president said Saturday. “The United States has been trying to do this transaction for over 150 years. Many presidents have tried, and for good reason, but Denmark has always refused.”
Rep. Don Bacon, Nebraska Republican, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Republican, signed on last week to a bipartisan bill intended to affirm the U.S. relationship with both Denmark and Greenland.
“I strongly oppose threatening the use of force against our close allies. Denmark has been an outstanding U.S. ally, supporting missions in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Mali, the Horn of Africa and Syria,” Mr. Bacon said.
The U.S. military footprint in Greenland consists of the Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, but thousands of personnel and dozens of American military installations, including radar sites and communications stations, dotted the island during the Cold War.
“It is currently home to a critical Space Force missile defense and space surveillance base,” Mr. Bacon said. “These threats against fellow NATO members Denmark and Greenland serve only the interests of our adversary, Russia and Putin, who desire NATO’s dissolution.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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