U.S. Donald Trump linked his aggressive stance on Greenland to final 12 months’s choice to not award him the Nobel Peace Prize, telling Norway’s prime minister that he not felt “an obligation to suppose purely of Peace,” two European officers mentioned Monday.
Trump’s message to Jonas Gahr Støre seems to ratchet up a standoff between Washington and its closest allies over his threats to take over Greenland, a self-governing territory of NATO member Denmark. To power European international locations which have rallied round Denmark and Greenland towards talks, Trump on Saturday introduced a ten% import tax beginning in February on items from eight nations, together with Norway.
These international locations issued a forceful rebuke. However British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to de-escalate tensions on Monday. Whereas the White Home has not dominated taking management of the strategic Arctic island by power, Starmer mentioned he didn’t imagine navy motion would happen.
“I feel this may be resolved and needs to be resolved via calm dialogue,” he mentioned.
Nonetheless, the American chief’s message to Gahr Støre might additional fracture a U.S.-European relationship already strained by variations over finish the almost four-year warfare in Ukraine, earlier rounds of tariffs, navy spending, and migration coverage.
In an indication of how tensions have elevated in current days, 1000’s of Greenlanders marched over the weekend in protest of any effort to take over their island. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen mentioned in a Fb publish Monday that the tariff threats wouldn’t change the their stance.
“We is not going to be pressured,” he wrote. “We stand agency on dialogue, on respect, and on worldwide regulation.”
Trump sends a message to the Norwegian chief
In response to two European officers, Trump’s message to Gahr Støre learn partly: “Contemplating your Nation determined to not give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I not really feel an obligation to suppose purely of Peace, though it is going to at all times be predominant, however can now take into consideration what is nice and correct for america of America.”
It concluded: “The World will not be safe until we’ve Full and Complete Management of Greenland.”
The officers, who weren’t approved to remark publicly and spoke on situation of anonymity, mentioned it had been forwarded to a number of European ambassadors in Washington. PBS first reported on the content material of Trump’s observe.
Gahr Støre confirmed Monday that he had obtained a textual content message from Trump however didn’t launch its contents. The White Home didn’t reply to questions concerning the letter or the context for Trump sending it.
Gahr Støre mentioned Trump’s message was a reply to an earlier missive despatched on behalf of himself and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, wherein they conveyed their opposition to the tariff announcement, pointed to a must de-escalate, and proposed a phone dialog among the many three leaders.
“Norway’s place on Greenland is obvious. Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway totally helps the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter,” Støre mentioned. “As regards the Nobel Peace Prize, I’ve clearly defined, together with to president Trump what’s well-known, the prize is awarded by an impartial Nobel Committee and never the Norwegian Authorities.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee is an impartial physique whose 5 members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament.
Trump has brazenly coveted the peace prize, which the committee awarded to Venezuelan opposition chief María Corina Machado final 12 months. Final week, Machado introduced her Nobel medal to Trump, who mentioned he deliberate to maintain it although the committee mentioned the prize can’t be revoked, transferred, or shared with others.
Starmer says a commerce warfare is in nobody’s curiosity
In his newest menace of tariffs, Trump indicated they might be retaliation for final week’s deployment of symbolic numbers of troops from the European international locations to Greenland—although he additionally advised that he was utilizing the tariffs as leverage to barter with Denmark.
European governments mentioned that the troops traveled to the island for Arctic safety coaching in response to Trump’s personal considerations about interference from Russia and China.
Starmer on Monday known as Trump’s menace of tariffs “fully incorrect” and mentioned {that a} commerce warfare is in nobody’s curiosity.
He added that “being pragmatic doesn’t imply being passive and partnership doesn’t imply abandoning rules.”
Six of the eight international locations focused are a part of the 27-member European Union, which operates as a single financial zone when it comes to commerce. European Council President Antonio Costa mentioned Sunday that the bloc’s leaders expressed “readiness to defend ourselves in opposition to any type of coercion.” He introduced a summit for Thursday night.
Starmer indicated that Britain, which isn’t a part of the EU, will not be planning to think about retaliatory tariffs.
“My focus is on ensuring we don’t get to that stage,” he mentioned.
Denmark’s protection minister and Greenland’s international minister are anticipated to fulfill NATO Secretary-Basic Mark Rutte in Brussels on Monday, a gathering that was deliberate earlier than the most recent escalation.
Related Press author Josh Boak in West Palm Seaside, Florida, contributed to this report.
—Aamer Madhani, Geir Moulson and Jill Lawless, Related Press
