As Trump rails against NATO, secretary general heads to D.C.

During his second term, he went much further, shocking his allies by saying he might use military force to take Greenland. Such was the concern that Danish soldiers were sent to Greenland with explosives, ready to blow up two critical airstrips if Trump chose to follow through on his threats, according to two European officials. This did not happen. The Danish government declined to comment on the precautionary measures, which were first reported by Danish media outlet DR.

Trump echoed those comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this year, but during his time there he pressured Denmark and Europe to hand over what he called a “piece of ice.”

Western diplomats say the episode was a watershed for U.S. allies, who concluded that America could no longer be fully trusted as a reliable partner. Divergences over the war with Iran and Trump’s trade bullying have only reinforced NATO members’ perception that they need to go their own way and wean themselves off U.S.-made weapons and technology.

Relations between the United States and NATO were already strained by divisions over the approach to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. While Europe considers helping Ukraine push back against Russia the top security priority, Trump bluntly declared as recently as last week: “Ukraine is not our war.”

Trump ended his direct military aid to Ukraine upon his return to the White House last year and appeared to side with Russia in peace talks, raising fears among European governments that they could no longer dismiss his criticism of NATO as mere rhetoric. His actions showed that the United States was unwilling to support the alliance against its main threat – Russia, according to Western officials.

The United States also eased sanctions on Russian oil to counter rising prices after Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, despite Europe’s insistence that pressure on Moscow be increased to help end the Ukraine conflict. The Trump administration has also made clear that U.S. weapons urgently needed by Ukraine will be diverted if necessary to fight the war in the Middle East.

“I think something fundamental has broken in the alliance, and it will be very difficult to restore it, not impossible, but very difficult,” Daalder said.

Rutte, who has the increasingly difficult task of holding the 32-nation alliance together, is well known for praising Trump – once even calling him “daddy”. Sometimes called the Trump whisperer, Rutte has been both applauded and criticized for his approach to handling Trump.

Even though the United States kept its NATO allies in the dark before the Iran war, Rutte has publicly defended U.S. military operations, saying what Trump was doing would “make the whole world safer.”

“If Iran had the nuclear capability, including, with the missile capability, that would pose a direct threat, an existential threat to Israel, to the region, to Europe, to the stability of the world,” he told CBS News in an interview last month. “So it’s crucial that the president does this.” »

But Rutte also acknowledged that his personal approach to Trump has not always been well received.

“I hear the criticism, obviously. I’m not deaf,” he said recently in an interview with Reuters.

Trump’s comments about NATO allies’ reluctance to get involved in the war in Iran, particularly to secure the Strait of Hormuz, sparked public feuding within the alliance.

“Countries around the world that receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz need to take care of that passage,” Trump said in a speech to the nation Wednesday evening after telling the Telegraph, when asked if he would reconsider U.S. membership: “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond re-examination. I have never been influenced by NATO.

Shortly after, Finnish President Alexander Stubb posted a message on

Lithuania and Estonia have publicly touted the importance and value of the United States as members of the alliance. Others were less pragmatic.

“The threat of a breakup of NATO, the easing of sanctions against Russia, a massive energy crisis in Europe, the cessation of aid to Ukraine… all this looks like Putin’s dream plan,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “NATO is the most effective military alliance the world has ever known, and it has ensured our security for many decades, and we are fully committed to NATO. »

Starmer has been a lightning rod for Trump’s personal attacks. Trump called him “not Winston Churchill” because of the UK’s reluctance to get involved in the war. Starmer rejected the attacks this week, saying: “Whatever pressure is put on me and others, whatever the noise, I will act in the British national interest in every decision I make. »

“And that’s why I’ve been absolutely clear that this is not our war and we’re not going to get dragged into it,” he said.