Trump ties Greenland drive to Nobel snub as EU readies countermeasures
Trump’s renewed push to take control of Greenland has spilled into a fresh transatlantic row, after he linked the dispute to a Nobel Peace Prize snub and threatened tariffs on multiple European countries.
- President Trump has explicitly linked his renewed push to acquire Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, stating he no longer feels obliged to think "purely of Peace."
- To force the sale of Greenland, Trump has threatened a rising wave of tariffs starting February 1 against Denmark, other EU nations, Britain, and Norway.
- In response to the tariff threats, the European Union is considering countermeasures, including retaliatory tariffs on US imports or deploying its "Anti-Coercion Instrument" for the first time.
US President Donald Trump has connected his renewed push to bring Greenland under US control with his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, as tensions over the Arctic territory stoke fears of another transatlantic tariff fight.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump would not say whether he might use force to seize Greenland, but he again warned European countries he would impose tariffs if an agreement is not reached.
The latest escalation has prompted the European Union to consider retaliatory steps, with officials weighing both fresh tariffs and a tougher legal tool designed to counter economic pressure.
The row risks further straining NATO unity at a time when the alliance is already under pressure over Ukraine and Trump’s demands for higher European defence spending.
Market jitters have also returned, with investors wary of renewed volatility after the 2025 trade war eased only when the sides struck tariff deals mid-year.
Text message to Norway PM
Norway’s government on Monday(January 19) released text messages between Trump and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere. In a message sent on Sunday, Trump complained that Norway’s decision not to award him the Nobel Peace Prize for what he claimed were efforts that “stopped 8 wars” meant he no longer felt obliged to think “purely of Peace”, though he said peace would remain “predominant”.
Stoere had earlier messaged Trump alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb, urging de-escalation. Trump replied within about half an hour, the release showed.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, a decision that angered Trump.
In the same exchange, Trump repeated his claim that Denmark cannot protect Greenland from Russia or China, questioned Denmark’s “right of ownership”, and argued that the world would not be secure unless the United States had “complete and total control” of the island.
Tariff threats widen
On Saturday, Trump announced that he would introduce a rising wave of tariffs from February 1 on EU member states Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland, as well as Britain and Norway, until Washington is allowed to buy Greenland, which has a population of approximately 57,000.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, speaking during a visit to London on Monday, rejected the idea. “We are living in 2026, you can trade with people, but you don’t trade people,” he said.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also pushed back, saying in a Facebook post that the territory should decide its own future.
He said Greenland would not be pressured and would stand by dialogue, respect and international law.
Separately, Denmark’s military told Reuters that Danish soldiers would land in Kangerlussuaq in western Greenland on Monday for the Arctic Endurance exercise.
Davos meetings sought
Stoere said he would rearrange his schedule to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday and Thursday, overlapping with Trump’s planned appearance.
Norway would not change its stance on Greenland, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would also try to meet Trump on Wednesday, stressing that no one wanted a trade dispute but warning Europe could respond if confronted with tariffs it deemed unreasonable.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cautioned European governments against retaliation, calling it “very unwise”.
He also dismissed the idea that Trump’s stance was driven by the Nobel Prize, saying the president viewed Greenland as a strategic asset.
EU options: tariffs or anti-coercion tool
EU leaders are due to discuss their response at an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday.
One proposal under consideration is a package of tariffs on €93 billion ($108 billion) of US imports that could automatically take effect on February 6, after a six-month suspension.
Another is deploying the EU’s “Anti-Coercion Instrument” (ACI), which has never been used.
The measure could restrict access to public procurement, investment or banking activity, or limit trade in services, including digital services, where the US runs a surplus with the bloc.
The EU said it was continuing engagement with Washington “at all levels”, while signalling that the ACI remained an option.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged calm talks between allies and said he did not believe Trump was considering military action to seize Greenland.
Russia declined to comment on whether Washington’s ambitions for Greenland were good or bad, but said it was difficult to disagree with analysts that Trump would “go down in… world history” if he took control of the territory.
Reuters
