Trump Rejects "Thinking Purely of Peace" in Blunt Letter to Norway

U.S. President Donald Trump, in a letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, has reiterated that the United States must acquire Greenland, Reuters reports. In the message, the White House leader linked his hardline stance on the island to the fact that the Norwegian Nobel Committee did not award him the Nobel Peace Prize.

"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 Peace will always be my main priority, I can now think about what is good and proper for the United States. The world will not be secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland," Trump’s letter stated.

Earlier, on January 15, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the 2025 Peace Prize laureate, presented the U.S. President with her medal. Two days later, Trump announced his intention to impose new tariffs on several EU countries, as well as the UK and Norway. According to him, the duties are set to take effect on February 1, 2026, starting at 10% and rising to 25% by June 1. Trump explicitly linked this potential escalation to Washington's efforts to secure permission to purchase Greenland.

In response to the U.S. President’s statements, the European Union has called an emergency summit in Brussels for January 22. Measures under discussion include a package of tariffs on U.S. imports totaling 93 billion euros. Additionally, the EU is considering the activation of its "Anti-Coercion Instrument." This mechanism is designed to counter economic pressure from third countries and allows for restricting foreign companies' access to public procurement, investment, and banking operations within the EU, as well as imposing trade restrictions on services—such as digital services—where the U.S. maintains a surplus. It is noted that this instrument has never been utilized before.

Meanwhile, London has voiced its own position. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the crisis surrounding Greenland must be resolved calmly and within the framework of allied agreements. According to him, the Arctic is becoming an increasingly vital region for security, and NATO will need to strengthen its northern presence—a task the UK is ready to support. However, Starmer emphasized that the U.S. cannot decide the fate of Greenland, as the matter belongs to Greenland and Denmark alone. He described the tariff threats as a "bad idea" and noted that a trade war serves no one’s interest. The British Prime Minister added that London does not intend to choose between the U.S. and the EU, calling such an approach fundamentally flawed.