Summary
Overview
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre discusses the recent tensions with the Trump administration over Greenland, NATO relations, and the future of Ukraine. Speaking from Davos, he addresses Trump's controversial claims about Norway's control of the Nobel Peace Prize, the threat to impose tariffs on NATO allies, and Europe's coordinated response. The conversation reveals the delicate balance between maintaining transatlantic unity while defending European sovereignty and principles against unconventional American demands.
The Nobel Peace Prize Controversy
The Prime Minister addresses Trump's claim that Norway controls the Nobel Peace Prize after Trump sent a text message demanding explanations about not receiving the award. Støre explains the historical independence of the Nobel Committee, established in the 1890s when Alfred Nobel asked the Norwegian parliament to appoint a committee with complete autonomy. He emphasizes that neither he nor the Norwegian government has any influence over the committee's decisions, which are revealed each October with the same anticipation as everyone else experiences.
- Trump sent a text message to Prime Minister Støre demanding to know why he hadn't received the Nobel Peace Prize, claiming Norway controls the committee
- Alfred Nobel asked the Norwegian parliament in the 1890s to appoint an independent committee because it was the only parliament that had never declared war
- The Prime Minister has no information or influence over the Nobel Committee's decisions and learns the winner at 11am in October like everyone else
- Attempting to influence the committee through political channels would likely backfire due to the committee's focus on integrity
" I am waiting as anxiously as everybody else at 11. I have no information, no influence. And I've always tried to explain to people because we get these questions from many who ask, you know, how is this happening? "
" You couldn't pick up the phone, call the committee and say, listen, do me a favor, nominate the president of the United States. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. "
The Greenland Crisis and NATO Tensions
Trump's claims on Greenland sparked a major crisis in transatlantic relations when he suggested using military force and threatened tariffs against eight NATO allies who sent military personnel to Greenland for routine exercises. Støre describes how Europe coordinated a firm response, with markets reacting negatively and Republican senators pushing back. The Prime Minister emphasizes that claiming another country's territory is unacceptable in the modern age and particularly troubling between NATO allies.
- Trump's claim on Greenland and suggestion of military force contradicts centuries of international norms about territorial sovereignty
- Trump threatened tariffs on eight NATO allies for sending military personnel to Greenland to plan future exercises within NATO framework
- European Union, UK, and Norway prepared retaliatory measures including potential tariffs in response to Trump's threats
- Markets reacted negatively to the escalation, and Republican senators pushed back against Trump's position
- Trump eventually stepped back from military threats and dropped the tariff plans after discussions with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
" For a country to make claim of another country's land, it doesn't belong to the age we live in. And an ally in NATO to say that I just need and I want a piece of your land same category. "
" Just thinking that me sending two officers to another a Nordic country to plan for future exercises would result in punishment from the United States. "
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