Speaking in the city of Stavanger on Monday, Støre emphasized Norway’s strategic importance to NATO and the United States, citing the proximity of Russian nuclear weapons to Norway’s northern border.
“That arsenal is not aimed at Norway — it’s aimed at the United States,” he said.
The comment came in response to a message sent by Trump, in which the US president complained about not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and said he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of peace.”
“The Norwegian government does not award the Nobel Peace Prize. President Trump has been told this many times, though it seems he keeps forgetting,” Støre said.
Trump recently threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on goods from eight European nations, including Norway, unless they agree to a deal over the purchase of Greenland by the United States.
The warning followed symbolic European troop deployments to Greenland as part of a NATO reconnaissance mission.
Støre criticized the use of tariffs as political leverage, calling it “unacceptable,” but said Oslo currently has no plans for retaliatory measures.
He said that the Arctic’s security depends on allied cooperation, not unilateral pressure.
(jh/gs)
Source: Polish Radio, PAP, BBC