President Trump hints at shifting focus from peace over Greenland
President Donald Trump has declared that peace is not “purely” a priority after he was snubbed of the Nobel Peace Prize for defending tariffs on control of Greenland.
- Although President Donald Trump has claimed to have “stopped eight wars plus,” only six ceasefires have been reached this term, varying in degree of success and U.S. involvement.
- The president linked the desire for U.S. control of Greenland to national security and the loss of the Nobel Prize.
- The documents released by Norway’s prime minister’s office are part of a larger release amid tensions with European leaders.
President Donald Trump told Norway’s prime minister that he would no longer prioritize peace after “stopping eight wars plus.”
The documents released by Norway’s Prime Minister’s Office are part of a series of documents released amid tensions with Europe and the Prime Minister’s attendance at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Trump also posted a screenshot of a message he had with French President Emmanuel Macron, in which he said Macron “doesn’t understand what they’re doing in Greenland.”
President Trump’s message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gare Stoer links the desire for a U.S. takeover of Greenland to the expiration of the Nobel Peace Prize. The award was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which is independent from the government.
President Trump’s message said: “Given your country’s decision not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing eight wars plus, I no longer feel obligated to think purely about peace.” “The world will not be safe unless we have full and complete control of Greenland.”
Which eight wars is he referring to? Here’s what we know.
What are the eight wars President Trump is referring to?
Since President Trump took office in January 2025, the United States has been involved in six ceasefires or peace agreements, but not all parties involved give the United States credit for the agreements. They include:
- Armenia and Azerbaijan – two former Soviet republics and President Trump signed a peace agreement at the White House on August 8, ending decades of war. Leaders of the world fully praised President Trump’s efforts at the ceremony.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda – President Trump announced the agreement between African countries in a social media post on June 20, praising Secretary of State Marco Rubio for helping bring African countries together. Although fighting continues after the agreement, President Trump said at an event on December 4 that the conflict could end with a “great miracle.”
- Iran and Israel – President Trump announced a ceasefire between the two countries on June 23 after the United States joined Israel in bombing Iranian nuclear facilities. President Trump recently threatened to take military action again in Iran amid a violent crackdown on protesters. Iran said it could attack Israel or American military bases in the Middle East if the United States attacked.
- India and Pakistan – President Trump announced that the neighbors, both nuclear-armed, had reached a ceasefire in US-led talks in May after escalating military clashes. However, India denies that the US brokered a cessation of fighting.
- Cambodia and Thailand – According to Reuters, the leaders of both countries agreed to a ceasefire on July 28 after five days of deadly fighting. President Trump urged them to negotiate a ceasefire, otherwise trade deals with governments would stall. However, that agreement collapsed in December and was replaced by another ceasefire that did not involve President Trump, according to Reuters.
- Israel and Hamas – The Trump administration helped broker a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel after a two-year war left tens of thousands of people dead, mostly Palestinians. On January 14, the United States launched the second installment of President Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which focuses on demilitarization, governance, and reconstruction of the enclave.
The White House previously told USA TODAY that President Trump’s eight wars figure also refers to two conflicts that were primarily based on his first term.
That includes Ethiopia and Egypt, with no wars or peace agreements between the two countries, according to Axios. During his first term, Trump dealt with a dispute between the two countries over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a massive hydroelectric dam. Egypt and Sudan have expressed concern that water flow to their areas of the Nile River will be affected, USA TODAY previously reported. President Trump said on January 17 that he was ready to resume mediation in the dispute.
Another conflict cited by the White House is between Serbia and Kosovo. In September 2020, President Trump announced that Serbia and Kosovo had agreed to economic normalization. But tensions persist five years later, according to Reuters. Serbia considers Kosovo part of its territory long after Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Kosovo’s president said in July that Trump had prevented further escalation, but Serbia’s president denied that escalation was imminent, according to Reuters. No peace agreement has been signed.
Why does Trump want Greenland?
“We need Greenland for our national security,” President Trump said at a press conference on December 22. “You look out on the coast and there are Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need that for national security. We have to have it.”
President Trump has repeatedly returned to national security as a reason for wanting Greenland. The island’s location may also be strategic for the US ballistic missile warning system. In a Jan. 14 post on Truth Social, he said it was “essential to the Golden Dome we are building.”
The island also has important minerals used in industries in which China has near-monopoly power. Greenland has deposits of major minerals such as graphite, copper, nickel, zinc, tungsten, and lithium, all of which are used in the production of modern technology. However, there is currently little mining in Greenland. President Trump also said he has no interest in Greenland, which is rich in mineral resources.
“We have so many mines for minerals, oil and everything else, we have more oil than any other country in the world,” Trump said.
The leaders of Greenland and Denmark, with support from other European leaders, have repeatedly denounced President Trump’s claims that the United States would take over Greenland.
How long will President Trump stay in Davos, Switzerland?
President Trump is scheduled to depart for Europe on Tuesday afternoon, January 20th, and return home on Thursday, January 22nd.
Contributing: Reuters; USA TODAY’s Joey Garrison, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Bert Janssen, Zach Anderson, Francesca Chambers, Josh Meyer and Kim Helmgaard, Kathryn Palmer
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter), blue sky and TikTok.
