Trump Links Greenland Demands to Nobel Prize

Diplomatic tensions escalated across the Atlantic in January 2026 as former United States President Donald Trump explicitly tied his persistent demands for control over Greenland to the Norwegian Nobel Committee's decision regarding the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. The core of this diplomatic rupture stems from a letter dispatched by Trump on January 19, 2026, following an emergency European Union meeting convened the previous day, January 18, 2026, to address escalating coercion regarding the self-governing Danish territory.

In his correspondence, directed toward Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump asserted that the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s failure to confer the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize upon him—for allegedly preventing "over eight wars PLUS"—released him from any obligation to prioritize global peace. He stated this allowed him to concentrate on measures deemed "good and appropriate" for the United States, specifically concerning the acquisition of Greenland. The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on October 10, 2025, for her work promoting democratic rights. Prime Minister Støre confirmed to Trump that the Nobel Peace Prize is adjudicated by an independent committee, not the Norwegian government, a distinction the committee itself maintains to preserve its autonomy.

This declaration was immediately followed by a concrete economic threat: an initial punitive tariff of 10% targeting imports from eight European nations, slated to commence on February 1, 2026, with provisions to escalate to 25% by June 1, 2026, should opposition to the US Greenland ambition persist. The eight nations targeted are Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland.

The immediate catalyst for the tariff threat was the deployment of military personnel by several European nations to Greenland for a reconnaissance mission under the banner of the Danish-led NATO exercise, Operation Arctic Endurance, which began in January 2026. This multinational show of force, involving countries including France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland, was intended to demonstrate a united front in support of Denmark's territorial integrity against US rhetoric. French President Emmanuel Macron advocated for the EU to consider activating its Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) in response to the economic pressure. The ACI, adopted in November 2023 and in force since December 27, 2023, is designed to shield the bloc from economic coercion by third countries, allowing for countermeasures if a qualified majority of member states confirms coercion is taking place.

Trump continued to reiterate his claim that Denmark is incapable of protecting Greenland from perceived strategic threats in the Arctic from Russia and China. The situation underscores a breakdown in diplomatic protocols, where the outcome of an independent award body is cited as justification for punitive international trade measures against allied nations.