Mark Rutte's 'Trump tamer' role crucial to avert an Alliance crisis over Greenland. NATO Secretary General's recipe

As tensions between Donald Trump and Europe over Greenland reached a boiling point this week, NATO chief Mark Rutte reaffirmed his reputation as a “Trump tamer” after the US president dropped his tariff threats following a meeting in Davos, Reuters reports.

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Trump said he had agreed with Rutte on a “framework for a future agreement” on the Arctic region, which is expected to be “an excellent one for the United States of America and for all NATO nations.”

Although its details are not yet clear, the result was a diplomatic victory for Rutte that has put the transatlantic alliance back afloat, diplomats and political analysts said.

Rutte, the Netherlands' prime minister for 14 years, had already built a reputation as a “Trump tamer”, the moniker widely circulated in the European press, when he took up the NATO post a month before Trump's re-election in 2024, based on their relationship during the US president's first term.

His strategy is not subtle at all – he relies on praise for the US president, even as other European leaders adopt an increasingly openly critical tone towards Trump.

“The work of the NATO secretary general is always important. And when it is translated into the personality of Mark Rutte, who is calm, composed and able to talk to the president of the United States, we should be grateful that he is our secretary general at this time,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb told Reuters in Davos.

Trump had previously stated that the US must take possession of Greenland. It is not clear how much of the backsliding is due to Rutte. He would have already removed military force from the equation before his meeting with the head of NATO.

But many diplomats credit Rutte with holding NATO together and managing turbulent transatlantic relations with Trump in the first year of his second term as US president.

“He is not perfect. Allies may have different opinions about him and his leadership style. But he is very good at keeping this alliance together in difficult times,” said one European diplomat.

“President Trump was already ready for concessions, and Rutte was the perfect interlocutor.”

While frenetic diplomatic activity in world capitals set the stage, and Europe's strong support for Denmark's refusal to cede Greenland played its part, Rutte's personal intervention was seen as crucial.

A senior NATO diplomat said the deal reached on Greenland shows why Rutte “does what he does to stay in direct contact with Trump.”

The episode where Rutte called Trump “daddy”

The latest compromise brokered by the NATO chief followed a similar intervention by Rutte in The Hague in June, when he won over the US leader by likening him to a “daddy” in global conflicts.

He successfully negotiated a deal that saw allies agree to Trump's call to increase military and related spending to 5 percent of GDP.

Trump did not hide his satisfaction when he brought up Rutte's comment in his speech in Davos on Wednesday.

And now Rutte has come up with the solution again: he has proposed a framework agreement under which the alliance would strengthen the security of Greenland and the Arctic region in general, thereby addressing what Trump describes as US concerns about the threats posed by China and Russia.

While French President Emmanuel Macron bullied Trump in his own Davos speech, Rutte maintained his usual laudatory tone toward Trump. In a message Trump posted on social media this week, Rutte praised his “incredible” work in Syria and spoke highly of his efforts in Gaza and Ukraine.

The head of NATO knows how to talk to Trump

Rutte, who honed his consensus-building skills by holding together coalition governments in the politically divisive Netherlands, often refuses journalists' requests to discuss sensitive issues on camera. He often changes the subject, pointing out that diplomatic issues should not become the subject of newspaper headlines.

Tim Sweijs, director of research at the Center for Strategic Studies in The Hague, explained that Rutte's ability to hold the parties together for such a long time as prime minister made him a “somewhat rare political figure” in the Netherlands.

“Instead of withdrawing – as many leaders do – and limiting discussions to a small circle, he would take his old Nokia phone and call both his coalition partners and members of the opposition,” Sweijs said.

That has exposed Rutte to criticism, who says he is willing to put ideals aside to reach a deal, said Simon Otjes, an associate professor of Dutch politics at Leiden University.

“He's famous for saying, 'If you want to see, then you should go to an ophthalmologist.' He's the man who compromises, who brings people together, who makes people feel valued so they can move forward,” Otjes said.

“He's really trying to understand not just what Trump needs in terms of politics to act, but what he needs psychologically.”