U.S. President Donald Trump linked his aggressive stance on Greenland to final 12 months’s resolution to not award him the Nobel Peace Prize, telling Norway’s prime minister that he now not felt “an obligation to assume purely of Peace,” two European officers stated 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. On Saturday, Trump introduced a ten% import tax beginning in February on items from eight nations which have rallied round Denmark and Greenland, together with Norway.
These nations 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 drive, Starmer stated he didn’t consider army motion would happen.
“I feel this may be resolved and must be resolved via calm dialogue,” he stated.
Nonetheless, the American chief’s message to Gahr Støre might additional fracture a U.S.-European relationship already strained by variations over how you can finish the almost four-year conflict in Ukraine, earlier rounds of tariffs, army spending and migration coverage.
In an indication of how tensions have elevated in current days, hundreds of Greenlanders marched over the weekend in protest of any effort to take over their island. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated in a Fb publish Monday that the tariff threats wouldn’t change the their stance.
“We is not going to be pressured,” he wrote.
In the meantime, Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for enterprise, minerals, vitality, justice and equality, instructed The Related Press that she was moved by the fast response of allies to the tariff risk and stated it confirmed that nations understand “that is about greater than Greenland.”
“I feel lots of nations are afraid that in the event that they let Greenland go, what could be subsequent?”
Trump sends a message to the Norwegian chief
In accordance with 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 now not really feel an obligation to assume purely of Peace, though it can all the time 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 have now Full and Whole Management of Greenland.”
The officers, who weren’t licensed to remark publicly and spoke on situation of anonymity, stated it had been forwarded to a number of European ambassadors in Washington. PBS first reported on the content material of Trump’s observe.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the president’s strategy in Greenland throughout a quick Q&A with reporters in Davos, Switzerland, which is internet hosting the World Financial Discussion board assembly this week.
“I feel it’s an entire canard that the president could be doing this due to the Nobel,” Bessent stated, instantly after saying he didn’t “know something concerning the president’s letter to Norway.”
Bessent insisted Trump “is Greenland as a strategic asset for america,” including that “we aren’t going to outsource our hemispheric safety to anybody else.”
The White Home didn’t reply to questions concerning the message or the context for Trump sending it.
Gahr Støre confirmed Monday that he had obtained a textual content message the day earlier than from Trump however didn’t launch its contents.
The Norwegian chief stated 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 absolutely helps the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter,” the Norwegian chief stated in an announcement. “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.”
He instructed TV2 Norway that he hadn’t responded to the message, however “I nonetheless consider it’s sensible to speak,” and he hopes to speak with Trump in Davos this week.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee is an impartial physique whose 5 members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament.
Trump has overtly coveted the peace prize, which the committee awarded to Venezuelan opposition chief María Corina Machado final 12 months. Final week, Machado offered her Nobel medal to Trump, who stated he deliberate to maintain it although the committee stated the prize can’t be revoked, transferred or shared with others.
Starmer says a commerce conflict is in nobody’s curiosity
In his newest risk of tariffs, Trump indicated they might be retaliation for final week’s deployment of symbolic numbers of troops from the European nations to Greenland — although he additionally instructed that he was utilizing the tariffs as leverage to barter with Denmark.
European governments stated that the troops traveled to the island to evaluate Arctic safety, a part of a response to Trump’s personal issues about interference from Russia and China.
Starmer on Monday known as Trump’s risk of tariffs “utterly flawed” and stated {that a} commerce conflict 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 nations 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 stated Sunday that the bloc’s leaders expressed “readiness to defend ourselves towards 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 contemplate retaliatory tariffs.
“My focus is on ensuring we don’t get to that stage,” he stated.
Denmark’s protection minister and Greenland’s overseas minister are anticipated to satisfy NATO Secretary-Normal Mark Rutte in Brussels on Monday, a gathering that was deliberate earlier than the newest escalation.
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Related Press writers Josh Boak in West Palm Seaside, Florida; Emma Burrows in Nuuk, Greenland; and Invoice Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.
