Trump Shares Private Messages With World Leaders as Greenland Dispute Deepens Ahead of Davos

US President Donald Trump has sparked fresh diplomatic controversy after sharing screenshots of private messages exchanged with world leaders amid escalating tensions over Greenland, just days before the World Economic Forum (WEF) begins in Davos, Switzerland.

In a series of late-night posts on his Truth Social platform, Trump revealed messages from leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and what he claimed was a note from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Trump reiterated that US control of Greenland is “imperative for national and world security,” reviving a long-standing and contentious ambition to acquire the Arctic island, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

One of the messages Trump shared, confirmed by a source close to Macron as authentic, showed the French leader expressing confusion over Washington’s stance. “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland,” Macron wrote, while noting alignment with Trump on issues such as Syria and Iran. Macron has since described Trump’s tariff threats linked to Greenland as unacceptable.

Trump also claimed he had agreed to hold discussions on Greenland with “various parties” on the sidelines of the Davos summit.

The disclosures have drawn sharp reactions across Europe. Danish officials warned that Greenland’s sovereignty is non-negotiable, while the island’s premier, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said Greenland would not bow to pressure and would continue to insist on dialogue, respect and international law.

Russia weighed in on the dispute, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying the standoff has exposed growing divisions within the Western alliance. Speaking in Moscow, Lavrov warned that disagreements over Greenland threaten NATO’s unity and reflect “crisis trends” within Western society.

Meanwhile, US House Speaker Mike Johnson sought to ease tensions during a visit to London, telling the British Parliament that he hoped to “calm the waters” between Washington and its allies. Johnson acknowledged disagreements over Greenland but stressed the importance of maintaining strong transatlantic ties.

Economic fallout from the diplomatic spat has also emerged. European stocks fell for a second straight day, while US stock futures pointed lower, as investors reacted to Trump’s threat to impose a 10 percent tariff on imports from several European countries, including Denmark, France and the United Kingdom.

Adding to the controversy, Trump dismissed the significance of the Nobel Peace Prize, claiming it is “controlled by Norway,” after again failing to win the award. He also criticized Macron for declining to join a proposed “Board of Peace” intended to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.

Despite the rising tensions, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he remains confident that Washington and European leaders will reach a resolution on Greenland, insisting the situation would ultimately end “in a very good place for all.”

As Trump heads to Davos, the Greenland dispute is expected to loom large over meetings with global leaders, raising fresh questions about transatlantic unity, NATO cohesion and the future of Arctic geopolitics.