"No obligation to think only about peace"...Trump links Greenland hard line to Nobel snub

New York, The Financial News – Lee Byung-chulPresident Donald Trump is fueling controversy by directly linking his hard-line push to assert control over Greenland to last year’s failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize. According to reports, in a text message to the Norwegian prime minister, President Donald Trump said he "no longer feels an obligation to think only about peace." Tensions with allies are now spreading beyond tariff pressure into the realms of diplomacy and security.
On the 19th (local time), The Associated Press (AP) and major U.S. media outlets reported that, in a message released by the Norwegian government, President Donald Trump told Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in effect that "since your country decided not to award the Nobel Peace Prize to me, even though I stopped more than eight wars, I no longer have an obligation to think only about peace." The message ended with the line, "The world will not be safe unless we have full and complete control over Greenland."

The president’s remarks escalate his long-standing claim that the United States must "have" Greenland by adding open resentment over the Nobel Peace Prize. On the 17th, President Donald Trump announced that starting in February he would impose a 10% import tariff on eight countries that support Denmark and Greenland. Norway is among the targets. The countries immediately issued strong statements of protest.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said on social media, "We do not seek a fight, but we will stand our ground." While stressing that Greenland is not for sale, allied governments also called for dialogue to find a solution.

Tariffs are not the only factor ratcheting up tensions. AP reported that the White House has not formally ruled out the possibility of seizing control of Greenland by force. Asked whether President Donald Trump might actually launch an invasion, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said, "Until the president himself decides to rule out certain options, we cannot exclude any possibility."
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has tried to calm the situation. He said the issue "must be resolved through calm discussion" and suggested the likelihood of military action is low.
Backlash is also mounting in Greenland. Thousands of residents took to the streets over the weekend to protest attempts to assert control over the territory. Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said, "We will not be pressured," stressing that tariff threats will not change Greenland’s position.
Greenlandic Minister Naaja Nathanielsen told AP she was "moved by the swift response from our allies" and said, "Countries understand that this is not just Greenland’s problem." She added, "Many nations are afraid of what might be next if they give up Greenland."

Prime Minister Støre explained that President Donald Trump’s message was a reply to a joint letter he and Finnish President Alexander Stubb had sent urging de-escalation. He stressed, "Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports Denmark."
On the Nobel Peace Prize dispute, he added, "I made it clear to President Donald Trump that the prize is awarded not by the Norwegian government but by the independent Nobel Committee." The Nobel Committee is an independent body composed of five members appointed by the Norwegian parliament.

United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, said, "The idea that the president is doing this because of the Nobel Prize is complete nonsense." However, he added that he was "not aware" of President Donald Trump’s message to Norway before making those remarks, leaving room for further controversy.
President Donald Trump has previously displayed an open fixation on the Nobel Peace Prize. AP noted that the Nobel Committee awarded last year’s peace prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, that she recently handed her Nobel medal to Donald Trump, and that President Donald Trump said he would keep it—while also reporting the committee’s position that "the prize cannot be transferred or shared."
President Donald Trump has suggested that the latest tariff threat is retaliation for European countries sending a token military presence to Greenland, while at the same time signaling that he intends to use tariffs as leverage in negotiations with Denmark.
European governments say the troop deployments are meant to assess security in the Arctic and respond to President Donald Trump’s concerns about possible involvement by Russia and China. Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said that European NATO member countries are conducting a "reconnaissance tour" to assess infrastructure and training needs, and hinted that permanent deployments are also under consideration.
Meanwhile, six of the eight countries targeted by the tariffs are member states of the European Union (EU), which operates as a single economic bloc in trade matters. European Council President António Costa said the EU is "ready to respond to any form of coercion" and announced that a summit meeting would be held on Thursday evening.
pride@fnnews.com Correspondent Lee Byung-chul Reporter