While much of Europe reels from President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war over the potential purchase of Greenland, the head of NATO offered a starkly different message to leaders gathered in the Swiss Alps on Wednesday: Stop complaining and acknowledge that Trump forced the alliance to survive.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte credited the U.S. President with single-handedly pressuring hesitant European powers to meet their financial obligations. Without Trump’s aggressive tactics, Rutte argued, nations like France, Italy, and Spain would never have hit the alliance’s defense spending targets.
“I’m not popular with you now because I’m defending Donald Trump,” Rutte told the audience during a panel on European defense. “But I really believe you can be happy that he is there because he has forced us in Europe to step up, to face the consequences that we have to take care of more of our own defense.”
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The defense of Trump comes at a precarious moment for the transatlantic relationship. Tensions flared earlier this month when the President renewed his interest in acquiring Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. The diplomatic dispute turned economic on Saturday when Trump announced sweeping tariffs on a coalition of nations including Denmark, the U.K., Germany, France, and Sweden.
Under the new policy, a 10% tariff on goods from these nations is set to trigger on Feb. 1, climbing to 25% by June if a deal for the “Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” is not reached.
The aggressive economic maneuvering has drawn sharp rebukes from European heads of state. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that a forced U.S. takeover could signal the end of the NATO alliance, while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron have voiced fears regarding the stability of Western security pacts.
Despite the friction, Rutte insisted that the results speak for themselves. He noted that the reluctance of European nations to pay their fair share had been a sticking point for decades, but only changed under the current U.S. administration.
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“No way, without Donald Trump this would never have happened. They’re all on 2 percent now,” Rutte said, referring to the percentage of GDP member states contribute to defense. “I’m absolutely convinced without Donald Trump you would not have taken those decisions and they are crucial, particularly for the European and the Canadian side of NATO to really grow up in the post-Cold War world.”
The shift in spending has been significant. Following prolonged pressure from Washington, NATO members agreed last summer to an even more ambitious target: raising defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
Addressing the military implications of the Greenland dispute, Trump sought to lower the temperature slightly during his own address in Davos, stating the U.S. would not use military force to seize the Arctic territory. However, the economic pressure remains.
Rutte urged European leaders to look at the broader strategic picture. With the U.S. pivoting focus toward Asia, he argued it is “only logical” for Washington to expect Europe to manage its own backyard, noting that 80,000 American troops remain stationed across the continent.
When asked if the rift over Greenland constituted a crisis for the alliance, Rutte remained dismissive.
“I think we are really working in the right direction,” he said.
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