US President Donald Trump has linked his repeated threats to seize control of Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, as transatlantic tensions escalate and risk rekindling a trade war with the EU. In a text message sent on Sunday 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'.
Trump has intensified his push to acquire Greenland, a largely self-governing part of Denmark, in recent weeks. He threatened to impose punitive tariffs of up to 25% on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland unless they drop their objections. The dispute has plunged EU-US trade relations into chaos and risks unravelling the Nato alliance.
Trump has refused to rule out using military force to seize the strategically important, mineral-rich island, which is covered by Nato protections as Denmark is a member. He insists the US needs 'complete and total control' for national security, despite already having a military base there and a bilateral agreement with Denmark to expand its presence.
In an interview with NBC on Monday, Trump blamed Norway for denying him the Nobel prize, saying 'Norway totally controls it'. The prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, an independent body. Last year's prize went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who later dedicated it to Trump.
Denmark's defence minister has discussed a possible Nato mission in Greenland with the alliance's secretary general. Greenland's prime minister said the territory 'will not be pressured' and stands firm on dialogue and international law. EU leaders will hold an emergency summit on Thursday to discuss retaliatory measures, which could include tariffs on €93bn of US imports.
