A letter from US President Donald Trump to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, circulated to allied governments, has added to the diplomatic stir over Greenland and raised concerns about NATO cohesion.
In the letter content now posted by journalist Nick Schifrin, Trump linked his interest in Greenland to what he described as a perceived snub over the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. He wrote that because Norway “decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS,” he “no longer feel(s) an obligation to think purely of Peace,” though he said peace would remain “predominant.”
The letter emphasised US strategic priorities, with Trump questioning Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland and arguing that Copenhagen “cannot protect that land from Russia or China.”
He added that, having done “more for NATO than any other person since its founding,” the US deserves reciprocal support from the alliance, framing full control of Greenland as essential for global security.
European leaders responded with concern over the letter’s tone and implications. Trump met the resistance with an additional 10% tariff on the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland.
Denmark and Greenland had reaffirmed that the island’s future is a matter for its people and international law.
However, Trump’s focus on Greenland is not new. He proposed buying the territory back in 2019, although linking it to a personal grievance over a Nobel Prize is a fresh element to the strategic debate over Arctic security and rival powers such as Russia and China.
