US President Donald Trump has told Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that he no longer feels obliged to “think purely of peace” after failing to win the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
In a letter published on Monday, Trump wrote that Norway’s decision not to award him the prize had changed his outlook.
“Considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped eight wars and more, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace,” he said.
Prime Minister Støre later stressed that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by the independent Norwegian Nobel Committee and not by the Norwegian government, adding that this distinction had been “clearly explained” to Trump, dw.com reports.
In the same letter, Trump reiterated his ambition for the United States to take control of Greenland, arguing that the move is necessary for US national security and to counter what he described as potential threats from China and Russia.
“Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China,” Trump claimed, adding that “the world is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland.”
Trump has openly expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, repeatedly asserting — without broad international agreement — that he played a role in ending more than eight wars. The 2024 prize was instead awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Meanwhile, officials in Denmark, Greenland and across Europe have firmly rejected Trump’s assertions, dismissing claims that Chinese or Russian forces pose an imminent threat in the Arctic region.
The comments have further intensified tensions between Washington and its European allies amid growing controversy over Trump’s Greenland ambitions and his increasingly confrontational diplomatic stance.
European nations are preparing a coordinated response after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on countries opposing his push to acquire Greenland, German officials said on Monday.
Germany’s Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil warned that Europe would not allow itself to be “blackmailed,” stressing that any response to Washington’s pressure would be united and firm. He said European governments are actively weighing countermeasures as tensions escalate over the Arctic territory.
The dispute has sparked protests in Greenland, where residents have strongly rejected Trump’s proposal to take control of the island, which is a semiautonomous territory under Danish sovereignty.
European Union leaders are expected to meet later this week to discuss the growing transatlantic crisis. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is scheduled to hold talks with officials from Denmark and Greenland in an effort to ease tensions.
Trump has argued that US control of Greenland is necessary for national security, a claim dismissed by European leaders, who view the tariff threats as an unacceptable escalation between allies.
