NEWS ANALYSIS: Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has found himself facing strange new threats from US President Donald Trump, which Trump then spread to other NATO allies in Europe. On Monday Støre’s defense minister headed for what commentators were calling a crisis meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Støre’s Defense Minister Tore O Sandvik cancelled meetings in Oslo on Monday to fly to NATO headquarters in Brussels. The Norwegian government confirmed that Sandvik would be meeting fellow ministers from other Nordic countries, all of which are now NATO members.
Sandvik’s sudden trip comes just as NATO ally Denmark was sending even more soldiers to Greenland, which is self-governed but has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark for around 300 years. Trump has complained that Denmark hasn’t been taking its defense of Greenland seriously, prompting Denmark to increase its military presence “in close cooperation with NATO allies.” Sweden, meanwhile, sent more of its fighter jets to Iceland, to position them closer to Greenland, while Norway earlier sent military officers to better assess Greenland’s needs and has long had an active presence in the Arctic.
When Denmark and other NATO allies including Norway began boosting their military presence on Greenland, though, Trump only seemed to become more critical and agitated, even threatening them all with new punitive tariffs. His ongoing complaints about alleged defense shortcomings on Greenland thus appear to be more motivated by his highly controversial attempt to justify a US takeover of the mineral-rich, huge Arctic island than any concern over invasion by Russia or China. NATO troops on Greenland now may find themselves actually wondering whether they may face invading Russians or invading Americans.
It’s all led to what one Norwegian analyst and commentator, Eirik Løkke, called “the biggest crisis in NATO’s history.” Trump’s belief that he can invoke a new US notion of manifest destiny that can allow him to take control of Greenland away from Greenlanders and Danes met opposition from fellow NATO allies such Great Britain, Norway, Germany, France and others who value sovereign rights. Any takeover of Greenland that’s not approved by either Greenland or Denmark would, according to Trump’s NATO allies, be a violation of their sovereignty.
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre continues to maintain that view, and sent a message about it to Trump on Sunday. He thought a president of the United States of America would respect sovereignty, too, not least that of a NATO ally. Støre told Norwegian state broadcaster NRK on Monday that “we shared our position against his increased tariffs for Norway, Finland” and another 10 NATO allies including Denmark that Trump had singled out.
“We pointed to our need to de-escalate the exchange of words and suggested a telephone conversation with Trump, (Finland’s prime minister Alexander) Stubb and me during the course of the day,” Støre told NRK.
On Sunday afternoon, however, Støre instead received a disturbing, poorly written message from Trump, in which the US president wrongly complained once again about how “your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize” and how that in turn has made him “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 went on to claim that “Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? 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 went on to write that he has “done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT”
After sending his message to Støre, Trump apparently forwarded it to National Security Council staff who in turn sent it to various European ambassadors, apparently including all those who also support Denmark and object to a US takeover of Greenland. Reporter Nick Schifrin at the US’ Public Broadcasting Service PBS posted it on social media after receiving it as well. Støre addressed the entire exchange Monday morning with Norwegian media while on his way to a meeting in Western Norway.
“This is very strong language,” Støre told Norway’s state broadcaster NRK on Monday. The Norwegian prime minister and former foreign minister now finds himself at a time when traditional diplomacy is being thrown out the window by Trump, who also has little if any regard for established international rules and regulations.
There’s no doubt that Trump is threatening not just Denmark now, but also other NATO allies that still respect sovereignty. Støre stressed once again on Monday that in his government’s view, “Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark and Norway fully and completely supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this issue. We also support the view that NATO, in a responsible manner, is strengthening the work being done for security and stability in the Arctic.”
Støre also told NRK, somewhat wearily, that regarding Trump’s largest complaint about “Norway” not awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize, that “I have several times clearly told Trump what’s well-known, that it’s an independent Nobel Committee and not the Norwegian government that hands out the prize.”
Støre’s Labour Party government, meanwhile, continues to enjoy support from all parties in Parliament regarding its support for Denmark and respect for sovereignty. The Parliament also opposes Trump’s new threatened tariffs, with the incoming leader of Norway’s Conservative Party, Ine Eriksen Søreide, telling NRK on Monday that the “punitive tariffs have no place in this issue.” She also leads the Norwegian parliament’s defense and foreign affairs committee.
By Monday evening, top officials including the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, foreign ministers from Greenland and Denmark, Norway’s defense minister and NATO leaders had agreed to send more soldiers and proposed to send a new NATO force to Greenland. Meetings were held at both EU- and NATO headquarters in Brussels, with the leaders from Denmark and Greenland also having a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The emphasis is on an even greater NATO presence throughout the Arctic.
Norway’s Sandvik told NRK that he now expected “a political dialogue with the USA, and we expect that dialogue will go well and that NATO will take greater responsibility in the Arctic. Norway has worked for that for a long time.” Sandvik met with his Danish colleagues after their meetings at the EU and NATO.
As for Støre, he’s still working towards cooperation among NATO allies. “The overriding goal must be to lower the tension level,” he told Oslo newspaper Aftenposten. “No one has anything to gain from spiralling measures against one another.” He and his NATO colleagues in Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Great Britain drafted a new statement late Sunday in which they wrote that “tariff threats undermine trans-Atlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.” At the same time they all claimed “full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland.”
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
