President Donald Trump said in a text message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that he was pushing to acquire Greenland partially because he had not yet been given the Nobel Peace Prize — saying the snub had freed him to no longer “think purely of Peace.”
Støre confirmed the stunning message in a statement Monday, saying it came shortly after he and Finnish President Alexander Stubb “conveyed our opposition” to a slate of 10% tariffs Trump said he planned to impose next month on European nations if negotiations over the sale of Greenland did not promptly begin.
“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,” Trump wrote.
The missive, first obtained by PBS, was also forwarded to several other European ambassadors by National Security Council staff, the network reported.
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In the message, Trump also questioned Denmark’s claim to Greenland, saying the country possesses “no written documents” that indicate its control over the massive island. Greenland has been controlled by Denmark for more than 300 years, and its sovereignty over the semi-autonomous territory is noted in several treaties between the U.S. and Denmark — namely, the 1951 Defense of Greenland agreement that allowed the U.S. military to expand its presence there.
“Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway?” Trump wrote in his message to Støre. “There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also.”
“I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States,” Trump added. “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
The message stunned European allies over the weekend — though it failed to sway Støre, who remained supportive of Denmark in his public statement confirming the veracity of Trump’s text.
“Norway’s position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter,” he wrote. “We also support that NATO in a responsible way is taking steps to strengthen security and stability in the Arctic.”
The Norwegian prime minister also reiterated that the Nobel Committee is an independent panel that is not controlled by the country’s government.
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