Brussels 25.01.2026 This week in Davos Finnish President Alexander Stubb was asked at the World Economic Forum (WEF) who or what can release rising tensions between the U.S. and its NATO allies over President Trump’s intention to take over Greenland, the world’s largest island beloning to the Kingdom of Denmark.

NATO chief cements "Trump whisperer" status as Greenland crisis eases https://t.co/HqGaJIFYYl

— The Hill (@thehill) January 24, 2026

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Stubb promptly responded, “Mark Rutte,” with a laugh, referring to the secretary-general of NATO, who established his status as “Trump whisperer” this week when he managed to direct the argument away from the military solution.

🇺🇸 NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to Trump:
There is one thing I heard you say yesterday and today.

You were not absolutely sure that the Europeans would come to the rescue of the U.S. if you will be attacked. Let me tell you, they will.

They did in Afghanistan, as you… pic.twitter.com/rtcssmD4wd

— Visioner (@visionergeo) January 21, 2026

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In hours after demanding “right, title, and ownership” of the autonomous Danish territory on January 21, the U.S. President adjusted his caurse, announcing he had “formed the framework of a future deal” on Greenland following a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte.

Unlike some European leaders, who openly opposed the idea, Rutte headed to WEF this week telling Trump he was “committed to finding a way forward on Greenland.”

Soon after Rutte and Trump met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, the president announced a Greenland “framework,” seemingly realising tensions, and reaffirming the secretary-general’s ability to temper Trump’s the most ambition impulses.

European allies welcomed news of the framework, but some warned that the damage to the EU-U.S. relationship is already done, even after the U.S. downplayed the threats to punish them with additional trade tariffs over their opposition to a U.S. takeover.

Some analysts credit Rutte’s Dutch rational, and laconic style in mediation of the demands of the U.S. president and the concerns of European leaders.

It’s just a theory, but I bet Trump promised NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that the U.S. would leave NATO if a Greenland deal isn't made. That's how Trump changed NATO’s mind so fast: Negotiate or you're on your own. And Rutte would know he's not bluffing. pic.twitter.com/MaP7hRJdh8

— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) January 22, 2026

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Rutte, 58, was the Netherlands’s prime minister for more than a decade, known for reaching across the aisle to form coalitions and find common ground on sensitive issues.