America’s European allies stood united Monday in opposition to President Trump’s escalating marketing campaign to take management of Greenland, accusing him of blackmail with a brand new menace of tariffs in the event that they proceed rejecting his bid for the U.S. to amass the huge island. Mr. Trump, in the meantime, appeared to trace that he was nonetheless prepared to make use of the U.S. navy to realize his goal.
In a message despatched to Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and shared with different NATO allies, Mr. Trump stated that because of the determination to award somebody apart from himself the Nobel Peace Prize this 12 months, he now not feels “an obligation to suppose purely of Peace,” and that he “can now take into consideration what is nice and correct for the US of America.”
Within the subsequent sentence, Mr. Trump refers to his controversial demand that the U.S. take possession of Greenland, which has been a territory of American ally Denmark for hundreds of years. He renews his declare that solely full U.S. management can forestall the strategic Arctic island from falling into the arms of China or Russia.
Trump’s claims about Greenland and U.S. safety
America’s closest allies in NATO have rejected Mr. Trump’s argument, together with U.S. lawmakers from either side of the aisle, that the U.S. must personal Greenland for safety causes.
They word that Greenland already falls below the transatlantic alliance’s safety as a Danish territory, that the U.S. has had at the least one navy base on the island since World Battle II and Denmark has given an open invitation for Washington to spice up that protection presence in partnership with its allies.
Map of the Northern Hemisphere highlighting Greenland, the US and Denmark.
AFP/Getty Photos
Regardless of these information, and efforts by Denmark and different European NATO members to point out an understanding of and willingness to handle rising competitors over management of important new delivery lanes across the resource-rich island, Mr. Trump claims once more in his message to Norway’s chief that “the World isn’t safe until we have now Full and Whole Management of Greenland.”
He argues that Denmark is incapable of securing the Arctic territory within the face of Russian and Chinese language threats — threats that Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic vice chairman of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, known as fictitious over the weekend.
“Denmark can not defend that land from Russia or China,” Mr. Trump wrote, ignoring the truth that, for nearly 80 years, because the U.S. and its European allies dedicated to the precept of joint safety with NATO’s founding treaty, Greenland’s safety has been a shared duty.
Mr. Trump questions within the word, as he is achieved beforehand, Denmark’s proper to any declare over Greenland, arguing that the idea is just that “a ship landed there tons of of years in the past, however we had boats touchdown there, additionally.”
Denmark turned the colonial energy in Greenland within the early 18th century, about 50 years earlier than the US turned a sovereign nation with its personal navy. Greenland remained a Danish colony till 1953, when the island gained its present semi-autonomy.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen waves a flag throughout a protest in opposition to President Trump’s demand that the Arctic island be ceded to the U.S., in Nuuk, Greenland, Jan. 17, 2026.
Marko Djurica/REUTERS
Although the inhabitants is tiny at round 60,000 individuals, Greenland has its personal elected authorities, and each the island’s leaders and the Greenlandic individuals have made it abundantly clear that they don’t wish to change into a part of the U.S.
Norway’s chief responds to Trump’s message
The Norwegian authorities shared an announcement on Monday from Prime Minister Støre through which he confirms that he acquired Mr. Trump’s message on Sunday afternoon.
He stated it got here in response to a textual content message he’d despatched together with Finland’s President Alexander Stubb.
“In our message to Trump we conveyed our opposition to his introduced tariff will increase in opposition to Norway, Finland and choose different international locations. We pointed to the necessity to de-escalate and proposed a phone dialog between Trump, Stubb and myself on the identical day. The response from Trump got here shortly after the message was despatched,” Støre stated within the assertion, including that it was Mr. Trump’s “determination to share his message with different NATO leaders.”
NATO leaders attend the North Atlantic Council plenary assembly at a summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025.
LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP/Getty
“Norway’s place on Greenland is evident. Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway absolutely helps the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter. We additionally help that NATO in a accountable approach is taking steps to strengthen safety and stability within the Arctic,” stated Støre.
He added, “As regards the Nobel Peace Prize, I’ve clearly defined, together with to President Trump what’s well-known, the prize is awarded by an unbiased Nobel Committee and never the Norwegian Authorities.”
White Home spokesperson Anna Kelly stated Monday the president “believes Greenland is a strategically necessary location that’s crucial from the standpoint of nationwide safety,” and is “assured Greenlanders could be higher served if protected by the US from trendy threats within the Arctic area.”
U.Okay. chief doubts Trump will use U.S. navy to take Greenland
Mr. Trump shocked America’s NATO allies over the weekend by threatening to impose new tariffs on Denmark and 7 different European nations in the event that they proceed to reject his calls for to take over Greenland.
After holding talks amongst themselves on Sunday, the eight international locations issued a joint assertion saying they had been “dedicated to strengthening Arctic safety as a shared transatlantic curiosity,” whereas reiterating their help for Denmark and Greenland.
They stated they had been “prepared to have interaction in a dialogue based mostly on the ideas of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind,” and warned that threats of tariffs undermine “transatlantic relations and danger a harmful downward spiral.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has maintained good relations with Mr. Trump and spoke with him on the cellphone Sunday, acknowledged in televised remarks on Monday morning that the Arctic area “would require better consideration, better funding and stronger collective protection” and stated the U.S. would “be central to that effort and the U.Okay. stands able to contribute absolutely alongside our allies, via NATO.”
U.Okay. Prime Minster Keir Starmer is seen throughout a information convention in London, England, Jan. 19, 2026.
Tolga Akmen/EPA/Bloomberg/Getty
“However there’s a precept right here that can’t be put aside, as a result of it goes to the guts of how secure and trusted worldwide cooperation works, and so any determination concerning the future standing of Greenland belongs to the individuals of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone,” stated Starmer.
“Denmark is a detailed ally of the U.Okay. and of the U.S. — a proud NATO member that has stood shoulder to shoulder with us, together with at actual human price in latest a long time,” Starmer stated, alluding to Danish troops combating alongside U.S. and British forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, as a part of the NATO alliance.
“Alliances endure as a result of they’re constructed on respect and partnership, not stress. That’s the reason I stated the usage of tariffs in opposition to allies is totally unsuitable. It isn’t the correct approach to resolve variations inside an alliance, neither is it useful to border efforts to strengthen Greenland’s safety as a justification for financial stress,” he stated. “A commerce battle is in nobody’s curiosity.”
As for Mr. Trump not ruling out the usage of the American navy to grab territory from a NATO ally, Starmer stated he did not imagine it will come to that.
“I do not, truly,” he stated. “I feel this will and needs to be resolved via calm dialogue, however with the applying of ideas I’ve set out by way of who decides the way forward for Greenland.”
Willie James Inman
contributed to this report.