What 8 wars is Trump talking about in texts with European leaders?

• President Donald Trump claimed to have "stopped 8 Wars PLUS," though in this term only six ceasefires have been reached with varying degrees of success and US involvement.
• The president linked his desire for U.S. control of Greenland to national security and losing the Nobel Prize.
• Texts released from the Norwegian prime minister's office are part of a larger release amid tensions with European leaders.

President Donald Trump told Norway's prime minister he was no longer prioritizing peace after "having stopped 8 Wars PLUS."

Texts released from the Norwegian prime minister's office are part of a slate of texts being made public amid tensions with Europe and his appearance at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Trump also posted screenshots of messages with French President Emmanuel Macron, who said, "I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland."

Trump's text to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre linked his desire for a U.S. takeover in Greenland to losing the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize was awarded to the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which is independent from the government.

“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace," Trump's message said. "The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland."

What eight wars is he referring to? Here is what we know:

What 8 wars is Trump referring to?

Since Trump took office in January 2025, the United States has been involved in six ceasefires or peace agreements, though not all parties involved credit the U.S. for the agreements. Those include:

• Armenia and Azerbaijan - The two former Soviet republics and Trump signed a peace agreement at the White House on Aug. 8, ending a decades-long war. The leaders of the countries gave Trump ample praise for his efforts at the ceremony.
• Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda - Trump announced a treaty between the African nations in a June 20 social media post, crediting Secretary of State Marco Rubio for helping to bring them together. The fighting has continued after the agreement, though Trump said the conflict may wind down in a "great miracle," at a Dec. 4 event.
• Iran and Israel - Trump announced on June 23 a ceasefire between the two countries after the U.S. joined Israel in bombing Iranian nuclear sites. Trump has recently threatened military action again in Iran amid a violent crackdown on demonstrators. Iran has said it could strike Israel or U.S. bases in the Middle East if the U.S. attacks.
• India and Pakistan - Trump announced the neighboring countries, both armed with nuclear weapons, had reached a ceasefire in May with U.S.-led talks after an intensifying military confrontation. However, India did not credit the U.S. with brokering the halt in fighting.
• Cambodia and Thailand - Leaders of the two countries agreed to a ceasefire on July 28 after five deadly days of fighting, Reuters reported. Trump urged them to negotiate a ceasefire or else trade deals with the governments would stall. However, that agreement fell through in December and has been replaced by another ceasefire that Trump was not involved in, according to Reuters.
• Israel and Hamas - The Trump administration helped broker a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel after a two-year war killed tens of thousands of people, mostly Palestinian. The U.S. on Jan. 14 launched the second part of Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza, which will focus on the demilitarization, governance and reconstruction of the enclave.

Trump's eight wars figure also refers to two conflicts mostly based in his first term, the White House previously told USA TODAY.

That includes Ethiopia and Egypt, where there has been neither a war nor a peace agreement between the countries, according to Axios. Trump dealt with a dispute between the two countries in his first term as they were feuding over a huge hydropower dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt and Sudan have expressed concern that water flow to their part of the Nile River would be impacted, USA TODAY previously reported. Trump said on Jan. 17 he was ready to restart mediation of the dispute.

The other conflict cited by the White House is between Serbia and Kosovo. In September 2020, Trump announced Serbia and Kosovo agreed to economic normalization. But Reuters reported the tense relations persist five years later. Serbia considers Kosovo part of its territory, long after Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Kosovo's president in July said Trump prevented further escalation, but the Serbian president denied that escalation was imminent, according to Reuters. No peace deal has been signed.

Why does Trump want Greenland?

"We need Greenland for national security," Trump said Dec. 22 at a press conference. "You look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need it for national security. We have to have it."

Trump has repeatedly returned to national security as a reason for wanting Greenland. The island's location could also be strategic for a U.S. ballistic missile warning system. In a Jan. 14 Truth Social post, he said it is "vital for the Golden Dome that we are building."

The island also has critical minerals used in industries where China has a near-monopoly power. Greenland has mineral deposits of key minerals including graphite, copper, nickel, zinc, tungsten and lithium, all used for making modern technology. However, Greenland currently does little to no mining. Trump also said he is not interested in Greenland for its mineral wealth.

"We have so many sites for minerals, and oil and everything, we have more oil than any other country in the world," Trump said.

Greenland and Denmark leaders, bolstered by other European leaders, have repeatedly rebuked Trump's claims the U.S. will take over Greenland.

How long will Trump be in Davos, Switzerland?

Trump is scheduled to leave for Europe the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 20, and return Thursday, Jan. 22.

Contributing: Reuters; USA TODAY's Joey Garrison, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Bart Jansen, Zac Anderson, Francesca Chambers, Josh Meyer, Kim Hjelmgaard, Kathryn Palmer

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her onX (Twitter),Bluesky andTikTok.