Texts between Donald Trump, Jonas Støre, Emmanuel Macron and Mark Rutte

A series of correspondence between Donald Trump and European leaders regarding the ownership of Greenland has been sensationally published.

The US president has vowed to tell European leaders at a forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week that “we must have” Greenland.

Diplomacy has traditionally been seen as synonymous with discretion, and much of it continues to happen behind closed doors.

But the latest revelations fall into a different category.

Here are the full messages and what experts told the BBC they should be read:

It was published by the Støre office at 15:48 (14:48 GMT) on 18 January, following a freedom of information request from the BBC.

Gahr Store:

Dear Mr. President, dear Donald, about our contacts across the Atlantic with Greenland, Gaza and Ukraine, and about your tariff announcement yesterday.

You know our stance on these issues. But we believe we should all work to eliminate this and reduce tensions; There is so much going on around us that we need to stand together.

We offer to have a meeting with you later today – with both of us or separately – give us a hint of what you prefer! Best – Alex [on behalf of Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb] and Jonas

Trump’s response, 18 January 16:15 (15:15 GMT):

Dear Jonas: Considering that your country has decided not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think only about Peace, although it is always dominant, I can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.

Denmark cannot protect these lands from Russia or China, and why do they have a “property right”?

There is no written document, it is just said that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we also had boats that landed there. I have done more for NATO than anyone else since its founding, and now NATO needs to do something for the United States.

The Earth is not safe unless we have Complete and Complete Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT

Former NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu told the BBC that this was evidence that “diplomatic norms have been changing for some time and it’s not just President Trump.”

“It’s highly unusual for private messages between leaders to be made public, but it’s part of President Trump’s trend of conducting diplomacy in public. You could say it’s megaphone diplomacy of the highest order.”

Cambridge University professor Mark Weller, who advises governments and international organizations, agrees.

“High-level exchanges between governments are normally carefully planned. This avoids misunderstandings and accidents when responding without adequate thought to important points,” says Weller.

“That’s fine with President Trump, who has managed to subvert expectations.”

But he warns that the “tendency to publish as is actually makes serious, covert crisis diplomacy impossible in situations where rapid and secretive action and dialogue are truly necessary.”

Posted by Trump on Truth Social on 19 January 17:01 (12:01 GMT):

From President Macron to President Trump

My friend,

We are completely on the same page regarding Syria

We can do great things with Iran

I don’t understand what you are doing in Greenland

Let’s try to build cool things:

1) I can arrange a G7 meeting after Davos in Paris on Thursday afternoon. I can invite Ukrainians, Danes, Syrians and Russians to the sidelines

2) Let’s have dinner together in Paris on Thursday before returning to the US

Emmanuel

Former French diplomat Francios-Joseph Schichan said the disclosure of Macron’s texts could be “embarrassing” for the president, as some parts were “exposed”.

“At the beginning of the text, Macron openly admits something that he has not publicly acknowledged, which is that he does not understand Trump’s behavior towards Greenland,” Schichan told the BBC.

“I think it’s damaging because you don’t want to be exposed that way, so it’s pretty embarrassing.”

However, Schichan noted that Macron invited Trump to a meeting at the G7 [group of most industrialised countries] that’s what he has to do, “which isn’t a shame, it’s definitely something he has to do”.

The texts also show that “Macron tried to resort to classic diplomacy,” saying that “it didn’t work for Trump because when he put it on Truth Social, the plan blew up.”

“This is another element of global diplomacy that is collapsing; you used to be able to chat privately one-on-one, but now you don’t know if it’s going to play out on social media.”

Posted by Trump on Truth Social on 20 January 01:53 (06:53 GMT):

Mr. President, dear Donald, what you have accomplished in Syria today is incredible. I will use my media activities in Davos to highlight your work there, in Gaza and in Ukraine.

I am determined to find a way forward in Greenland. I can’t wait to see you.

Yours, Mark

Lungescu, the longest-serving NATO spokesman and now a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defense think tank, says, similar to Macron, that the revelation of Rutte’s private message to Trump was “unusual”.

Lungescu said Rutte’s message was “consistent with what he has said publicly and privately” while other leaders “may appear stronger in public and more conciliatory in private.”

“So there is a risk that what is private is no longer private,” he said, adding: “If people are encouraged to appear powerful on social media, this risks leading to further rhetorical escalation rather than working behind the scenes to find win-win solutions.”

“The field of diplomacy will focus on more telephone conversations and more face-to-face encounters. In this case, this could bring us back to traditional diplomacy,” Lungescu said. he said.