Donald Trump has linked his threats to seize Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, escalating tensions with Europe and risking a trade war. In a text message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump wrote that after being snubbed for the prize, he no longer felt obliged to think 'purely of peace'. He added that the US needed 'complete and total control' of Greenland.
The US president has intensified his push to acquire the island, a self-governing part of Denmark, warning that tariffs of 10% would be imposed from 1 February on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland unless objections to his plan are dropped. The tariffs could later rise to 25%.
The dispute has thrown EU-US trade relations into chaos and risks unravelling the Nato alliance. Trump has refused to rule out military force to seize Greenland, which is covered by Nato and EU protections as Denmark is a member of both. The US already has a military base on the island and a bilateral agreement with Denmark to expand its presence.
In an interview, Trump insisted he would '100%' push ahead with tariffs and blamed Norway for denying him the Nobel prize. The prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, an independent body appointed by parliament. Last year's winner was Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who later dedicated her medal to Trump.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the territory would not be pressured and stood firm on 'dialogue, respect and international law'. EU leaders are due to meet for an emergency summit in Brussels to discuss their response, which could include tariffs on €93bn of US imports or use of the bloc's anti-coercion instrument.
