As President Donald Trump continues to threaten to seize control of Greenland, he has taken to the internet to share some private messages.
The texts the US president published to his own social media platform Truth Social appear to come from French president Emmanuel Macron.
In the messages, Macron admits that he does not ‘understand what you are doing on Greenland’.
The French leader goes on to invite Trump to have dinner with him in Paris on Thursday.
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This comes after a joint statement was released by the UK, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, which warned that Trump’s threats towards Greenland ‘undermines transatlantic relations’.
In the statement, it reads: “We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland. Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind.”
In retaliation, Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Nato allies if they do not back his plans to take over Greenland.
Speaking out, the prime minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo, said: “Finland’s view is that any questions among allies should be resolved through discussions, not through pressure.
“The US has raised concerns about Arctic security, which is a key issue for Finland.
“We seek to safeguard Arctic security together with all our allies while respecting the territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland.
“Tariffs would harm both Europe and the US. They do not serve anyone. We are working closely with our European partners and allies.”
Why does Trump want to control Greenland?
Despite increased interest in recent times over natural resources in Greenland, Trump has claimed that the US needs the territory for ‘national security, not minerals’.
Since the second World War, the US has operated the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland which is used for crucial missile warning, missile defense, and space surveillance.
The only other country to have a base on the island is Denmark, which Greenland is an autonomous territory of.
The US president has repeatedly referenced potential threats from Russia and China when discussing his wishes to take over Greenland from Denmark.
In a post on social media, he wrote: “Nato has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that 'you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland.' Unfortunately, Denmark has been able to do anything about it. Now it is time, and it will be done!!!”
Although, this isn’t the first time Trump has expressed interest in Greenland as he offered to buy the land back in 2019, but was told it was not for sale.
The prime minister of Greenland, Jens Frederik Nielsen, has responded to Trump’s recent threats by saying ‘that’s enough now’.
Nielsen went on to say that the idea of the US seizing control over Greenland is a ‘fantasy’.