NYT: NATO chief’s Trump diplomacy brings relief—controversy

When NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met President Donald Trump in January, the alliance appeared to be on unstable ground. Trump had vowed to seize Greenland from Denmark and refused to rule out using force to do so.

This unprecedented threat—made by one NATO ally against another—was seen as putting the alliance’s very existence at risk, The New York Times writes ahead of Trump-Rutte meeting.

Rutte was selected for the role in part because of his ability to manage relations with Trump, a skill that was quickly put to the test.

“We can’t help you if you want to become an owner of Greenland,” Rutte told Trump during a conference in Davos, Switzerland, according to people briefed on what was said. “But,” he added, “we can help you on security.”

Rutte then outlined existing NATO exercises in Greenland and presented them as a new alliance mission in the Arctic. Trump, apparently satisfied with the response, backed away from his threats for the time being.

The episode was initially seen as a diplomatic success for Rutte, the former Dutch prime minister who assumed the NATO leadership in 2024 in part to “Trump-proof” the alliance. However, behind the scenes, the discussions reportedly generated irritation and mistrust.

On the same day, NATO officials were reportedly debating whether to grant the United States control over land beneath American bases in Greenland. Danish officials believed Rutte had gone further, engaging in discussions touching on sovereignty and Greenland’s future—issues they considered a red line and far beyond his mandate, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

The exchange has been cited as an example of how Rutte, often described as a “Trump whisperer,” navigates a delicate balancing act. NATO, analysts say, relies on his close relationship with Trump, yet that same closeness has at times unsettled European allies who expect him to temper US demands in order to preserve alliance unity.

By Vafa Guliyeva