United States President Donald Trump said he no longer felt an “obligation to think purely of peace” after not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, and repeated his demand for control of Greenland.

Trump made the remarks in a letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, which was published on Monday and whose authenticity was confirmed to AFP by Støre’s office.

A copy of the text of the letter was posted by the foreign affairs and defence correspondent for PBS News, Nick Schifrin, on social media platform X, who said he had obtained it from multiple officials. Schifrin added that the letter had been forwarded to “multiple European ambassadors in Washington”.

“Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped eight Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace,” Trump said in the letter.

“Although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.”

As Bloomberg pointed out, the Nobel Peace Prize is not decided by the Norwegian government but rather awarded by an independent committee.

“Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway?” the US president added.

“There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also.”

Trump also called on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) to “do something for the United States”, saying, “I have done more for Nato than any other person since its founding”.

“The world is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you!”

Trump has put the transatlantic alliance to the test with threats to take over Greenland “one way or the other”, with European countries closing ranks against Washington’s designs on the vast Danish territory.

German and French leaders denounced as “blackmail” weekend threats by Trump to wield new tariffs against countries which oppose his plans for the Arctic island, and said on Monday that Europe was preparing trade countermeasures.

The European Union said it was holding an emergency summit on Thursday to weigh its response, and that while its priority is to “engage, not escalate”, it is ready to act if needed.

Greenland, for its part, said the tariffs threat does not change its desire to assert its own sovereignty.

“We will not be pressured,” Greenlandic prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Facebook post, adding that the autonomous territory “is a democratic society with the right to make its own decisions”.

Støre said the statement had been received in response to a message from him and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, where they had “conveyed our opposition” to Trump’s tariff threats.

Bloomberg quoted Støre as saying: “Regarding the Nobel Peace Prize, I have several times clearly explained to Trump what is well known, namely that it is an independent Nobel Committee, and not the Norwegian government, that awards the prize.”

A request for comment sent to the White House was not immediately returned, the outlet added.

Last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado had given her own medal to Trump in recognition of what she called his commitment to the freedom of the Venezuelan people. However, the Norwegian Nobel Institute has said the prize cannot be transferred, shared or revoked even if the medal is given away.

Russia, China threat?

Trump has repeatedly said his country needs vast, mineral-rich Greenland for “national security”, despite the US already having a base on the island and security agreements with fellow Nato ally Denmark.

“Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China,” Trump said in his message to the Norwegian premier, doubling down on that sentiment in a post to Truth Social on Monday.

Denmark’s defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Monday that steps had already been taken along with Nato allies to “increase military presence and training activity in the Arctic and the North Atlantic”.

Lund Poulsen added that he and Greenlandic foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt would be meeting with Nato chief Mark Rutte later on Monday.

‘Blackmail’

This weekend, Trump said that from February 1, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland would be subject to a 10-per cent tariff on all goods sent to the US — a duty which could go higher.

Germany’s vice chancellor Lars Klingbeil slammed the move as blackmail and said on Monday that Europe was preparing countermeasures.

French finance minister Roland Lescure, speaking at a press conference alongside Kingbeil, agreed.

“Blackmail between allies of 250 years, blackmail between friends, is obviously unacceptable,” Lecurse said.

Klingbeil said Europe’s response could have three main strands.

First, the current tariff deal with the US would be put on hold, he said.

Second, European tariffs on imports from the US, currently suspended until early February, could come into force.

And thirdly, the EU should consider using its toolbox of instruments against “economic blackmail”, he added.

Europe’s stock markets fell as the week’s trading began on Monday, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warning that a “trade war is in no one’s interest”.

Greenland — whose tiny population of 57,000 has voiced disquiet at Trump’s threats — continued to make its preferences clear on Monday.

Greenland’s dogsled federation (KNQK) said that the new US special envoy to the Arctic island had been disinvited to its annual race.

Jeff Landry had been invited to attend the race by a private Greenlandic tour operator, an invitation the KNQK federation has previously called “totally inappropriate”.