US President Donald Trump has overtly tied his renewed interest in annexing Greenland to his failure to acquire the Nobel Peace Prize on January 19, saying that he no longer thinks “purely of peace” in his mind as more tensions with Europe heat up.
His comments are amidst an intensifying dispute about the sovereignty of Greenland that threatens to reignite a transatlantic trade war and further destabilize North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).
In an interview with NBC News, Trump did not answer whether or not he would consider using force to seize Greenland but again stated his warning to European nations that they can face punitive tariffs if the negotiations fail to work out.
His comments have raised worries throughout Europe, whose leaders see his stance as a direct challenge to Denmark, also a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation that retains sovereignty over the Arctic territory.
The European Union has started considering retaliatory actions, which raised fears that the confrontation would turn into an economic conflict.
Markets have already responded nervously, with investors recalling how volatile 2025 felt due to the resulting trade war which only ended after tariff agreements had been reached halfway through the year.
The controversy has served to reveal widening cracks within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), an alliance that already is under strain blamed due to the war in Ukraine as well as Trump’s repeated calls on allies to spend more on defence in return for US protection.
European officials fear that the Greenland dispute may destroy the credibility of the alliance and its long-term cohesion.
Further adding to the tensions, Norway’s government released a text message sent by Trump to Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere where he mentioned that he was denied the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump wrote that Norway’s decision not to award him the prize for what he claimed were efforts to stop “eight wars” had freed him to focus more narrowly on US interests.
The message followed an appeal from Stoere and Finnish President Alexander Stubb for de-escalation.
Trump has also revived allegations that Denmark is incapable of defending Greenland from Russian or Chinese influence.
Also read: Trump to impose 10% import tariffs on Europe from Feburuary 1
