A letter attributed to Donald Trump has ignited fresh controversy after the U.S. president suggested that his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize influenced his interest in taking control of Greenland, while also questioning Denmark’s right to sovereignty over the territory. He has also challenged Denmark’s claim of ownership over the island.
The letter, addressed to Jonas Gahr Støre, the Prime Minister of Norway, was obtained by the U.S. public broadcaster PBS and has since drawn international attention for its unusually blunt tone and sweeping geopolitical claims.
In the correspondence, Mr Trump appeared to link his long-expressed frustration over not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize to a shift in his strategic outlook. He wrote that Norway’s decision not to award him the prize for what he described as stopping “eight wars plus” had altered his approach to global affairs.
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“Considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped eight wars plus, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace,” Mr Trump wrote. He added that while peace would “always be predominant,” he now felt freer to focus on what he considered to be in the best interests of the United States.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a Norwegian committee appointed by Norway’s parliament, a fact that has not prevented repeated criticism from Mr Trump, who has long argued that his diplomatic efforts deserved recognition.
In the same letter, Mr Trump directly challenged Denmark’s claim to Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory of major strategic importance in the Arctic. He questioned the legal and historical basis of Danish ownership, suggesting it rested on weak foundations.
“Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway?” he wrote. “There are no written documents; it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also.”
Mr Trump went further, arguing that global security required U.S. control of the vast Arctic island, which sits astride key shipping routes and has become increasingly significant amid rising geopolitical competition in the region.
“The world is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland,” he wrote, reiterating a position that first shocked U.S. allies during his presidency, when he publicly floated the idea of purchasing the territory.
The letter also touched on Mr Trump’s relationship with NATO, with the president claiming he had done more for the alliance than any individual since its founding. He argued that NATO, in turn, owed the United States greater strategic consideration.
“I have done more for Nato than any other person since its founding, and now Nato should do something for the United States,” he wrote.
The contents of the letter are likely to deepen unease among European allies, many of whom were already unsettled by Mr Trump’s transactional view of alliances and territorial sovereignty during his time in office. Danish officials have previously dismissed any suggestion of selling Greenland, while leaders in Greenland itself have repeatedly stated that the territory is not for sale and that decisions about its future rest with its people.
Analysts say the remarks reflect Mr Trump’s broader worldview, in which international institutions, historical agreements and alliance norms are subordinate to perceived national advantage. The resurfacing of the Greenland issue, coupled with references to the Nobel Peace Prize, is expected to fuel further debate about how a potential return of Mr Trump to power could reshape transatlantic relations and Arctic geopolitics.
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