President Donald Trump has told Norway's prime minister that he no longer feels an "obligation to think purely of Peace," according to a letter confirmed by Norwegian officials, a stark message that has unsettled U.S. allies and injected new volatility into an already tense transatlantic relationship. The correspondence, reported by Norway's VG and acknowledged by Jonas Gahr Støre, ties Trump's posture to a perceived slight by the Nobel Peace Prize committee and to his renewed push for U.S. control of Greenland.
In the letter, Trump wrote: "Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped eight 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." The phrasing, diplomats said, marked a sharp departure from customary language used among NATO allies.
The note also revisits Trump's long-standing interest in Greenland, dismissing Danish sovereignty in unusually blunt terms. He questioned Denmark's claim to the territory, arguing that historical settlement alone did not confer ownership and asserting that the United States had comparable grounds for a claim. Trump added that NATO "should do something for the United States" and concluded that the "World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland."
Those remarks landed amid rising trade tensions. Trump has threatened to impose a 10% tariff "on any and all goods" sent to the U.S. beginning Feb. 1 from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland, with the rate set to rise to 25% by June 1 absent an agreement over Greenland. The threat has already weighed on European markets and prompted discussions among EU governments about potential retaliation.
In London, Keir Starmer condemned the proposal, calling the tariffs "completely wrong." British officials said using trade measures to pressure allies over territorial claims risks undermining NATO cohesion at a time when Arctic security and Russia's posture remain central alliance concerns.
Norwegian officials confirmed receipt of the letter but declined to comment on internal deliberations of the Nobel committee, which operates independently of the government. Oslo has emphasized that the prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, not by the prime minister's office, a distinction that has previously been underscored to foreign leaders.
