Trump says he ‘no longer feels an obligation to think purely of peace’ after being refused Nobel Peace Prize in extraordinary Greenland letter

Donald Trump further increased the pressure on Greenland, saying in a chilling message to the Norwegian Prime Minister that he “no longer feels the obligation to think only about peace” because of the rejection of the Nobel Peace Prize.

According to the Norwegian press, in his letter to Jonas Gahr Støre, the US President once again demanded that Greenland be given to America because Denmark could not protect it from Russia and China.

‘I have done more for NATO than anyone else since its founding, and now NATO must do something for the United States,’ he said in a message leaked this morning.

Responding to Mr. Støre’s memo about tariff threats, Mr. Trump took the extraordinary step of tying his desire to take Greenland from Denmark to not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Dear Jonas: Considering that your country has decided not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think only about Peace, although it is always dominant, I can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,” Mr. Trump was quoted as saying.

Norwegian tabloid VG claims to have spoken to Mr Støre, who confirmed the letter was genuine. The prime minister also said he had repeatedly told Mr. Trump that the Norwegian government had not decided who would win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Mr Trump claimed Denmark only owns Greenland because ‘a boat landed there hundreds of years ago’.

He continued: ‘Denmark cannot protect these lands from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘property right’ anyway? ‘There is no written document’

Donald Trump shocked NATO allies in a letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in which he said he “no longer feels obliged to think only about peace because your country has decided not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize.”

People hold Greenlandic flags and signs reading ‘Greenland Not For Sale’ as they gather in front of the US consulate to protest President Donald Trump’s Greenland plans on January 17, 2026 in Nuuk, Greenland.

‘Only one boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there too. I have done more for NATO than anyone else since its founding, and now NATO needs to do something for the United States. The Earth is not safe unless we have Complete and Complete Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT’.

The document was said to have been written by Trump and later forwarded by National Security Council staff to several European ambassadors in Washington. However, it was also leaked to PBS in the US.

The panic created by the letter and its language this morning was so great that there were concerns that it might be fake.

However, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre confirmed that it was real.

He told VG: ‘I can confirm that this is a message I received from President Trump yesterday afternoon.

‘This was in response to a text message I sent to President Trump on behalf of myself and Finnish President Alexander Stubb earlier in the day.

‘In our message to Trump, we conveyed our stance against the increased customs duties against Norway, Finland and other selected countries.

“We noted the need to scale back the meeting and requested a phone call between Trump, Stubb, and myself during the day.

Trump’s response came shortly after we sent the message. ‘It was Trump’s choice to share the message with other leaders in NATO countries’.

He added: “Regarding the Nobel Peace Prize, I have repeatedly made clear to Trump what is well known, namely that it is an independent Nobel Committee that awards the prize, not the Norwegian government.”

It comes after Keir Starmer confronted Donald Trump last night over his extraordinary threat to take over Greenland.

In an unprecedented rebuke over warnings that NATO was ‘heading towards disaster’, he told the US President that his proposal to impose tariffs on those seeking to defend the island was ‘wrong’.

The clash came after Western leaders warned Mr Trump that he risked a ‘dangerous downward spiral’ in relations, adding that the new Arctic mission ‘posed no threat to anyone’.

But a Cabinet minister rejected demands that Britain respond by canceling the King’s planned state visit to America in the spring.

As the deepening crisis threatens the future of NATO, European leaders are considering using the so-called trade ‘bazooka’, an economic tool that would hit the US with tariffs worth £81bn, in retaliation for the first time.

The ‘big bazooka’ is an anti-oppression tool adopted in 2023 to combat political blackmail.

This allows the EU to restrict countries’ participation in public tenders, limit trade licenses and close access to the single market.

But there was no sign the White House would back down; One key figure argued that Europe was too weak to defend itself.

The two were said to have a cordial working relationship; The Prime Minister has been praised for his sensitive handling of Mr Trump, and the US President last year suggested Starmer had done ‘a very good job so far’ as Prime Minister. However, the political consequences of the Greenland issue are not yet known.

Last night a senior British Government official told the Daily Mail: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it. Our enemies will rub their hands with joy. ‘We are heading towards a disaster.’

President Trump has long been trying to seize Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, to improve U.S. security; believes that this region is at risk of being invaded by China.

He increasingly made military invasion more likely; Then, over the weekend, he opposed European countries defending the independence of the huge island.

The President announced on the Truth Social platform that the United States will impose a 10 percent tariff on all exports from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, starting February 1, and will increase this rate to 25 percent in June.

‘This tariff shall be due and payable until an agreement is reached for the full and complete acquisition of Greenland.’

There was immediate condemnation from across the world, including from across the political spectrum in Britain, where Sir Keir branded the proposals ‘completely wrong’.

Yesterday, he went further and delivered his direct message to the President, who was spending the weekend on his golf course in Florida.

A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister spoke to the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; and NATO secretary general Mark Rutte. He then spoke to President Trump.

Uniformed Danish soldiers land in the port of Nuuk, Greenland, on January 18, 2026

‘The Prime Minister reiterated his stance on Greenland in all his calls. He said security in the High North was a priority for all NATO allies to protect Euro-Atlantic interests.

‘He also said it was wrong to impose tariffs on allies to ensure the collective security of NATO allies.’ Sir Keir is expected to personally lobby Mr Trump at the Davos summit this week.

Eight countries facing a tariff blow that experts fear could plunge Britain into recession at a cost of £6bn to exporters have issued a statement condemning Mr Trump’s threats and defending a military exercise in Greenland that is thought to have angered him.

The statement included the following statements: ‘As NATO members, we are determined to strengthen the security of the Arctic as our common transatlantic interest. Denmark’s previously coordinated Arctic Resilience exercise with allies responds to this need. He poses no threat to anyone.

‘We stand in full solidarity with the people of the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland. Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous decline.’

Ms Frederiksen added: ‘Europe will not be blackmailed. We want to cooperate and we are not the ones looking for conflict.’

But US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: ‘The Europeans project weakness, the US projects strength.

‘The President believes that it is not possible to improve security without Greenland becoming part of the United States.’

Lord McDonald, former head of the diplomatic service, told the BBC: ‘If there was any conflict between the Americans and the Europeans over Greenland, that would be the end of NATO.

‘When one ally becomes militarily hostile to another, there is no going back.’

Conservative MP Simon Hoare said: ‘HM The King’s upcoming state visit to the US must now be cancelled.

‘The civilized world can no longer cope with Trump. He’s a gangster pirate.’

But Culture Minister Lisa Nandy rejected the idea, telling Sky News: ‘It feels a bit childish because people’s jobs and lives depend on us being able to have serious conversations with our colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic.’