DAVOS, Switzerland — A deal on Greenland that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte negotiated with President Donald Trump blindsided European officials who had striven to show unity in the face of escalating threats from the U.S., a European diplomat with knowledge of ongoing discussions told MS NOW. “Rutte negotiated this on his own,” the diplomat told MS NOW on Friday, referring to the agreement discussed by the NATO secretary general and President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “Everyone is grateful to Mark Rutte for pulling this off, but there are big question marks over what was agreed,” a second European diplomat told MS NOW. “Security and defense fall under Rutte’s remit … but issues of economics and sovereignty don’t.” The sources were granted anonymity to speak freely about sensitive relations. Trump announced on Wednesday that he and Rutte had reached “the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland,” and that he would no longer impose the punitive tariffs he had threatened against European nations that opposed his Greenland takeover. Those were set to take effect on Feb. 1. But days after the announcement, top European officials are still unclear about what Trump and Rutte agreed to. Play Trump posts announcement of ‘framework of future deal’ on Greenland January 21, 2026 / 11:53 A Danish official told MS NOW that Trump and Rutte agreed that Denmark and the U.S. “will begin talking.” “It’s now a discussion between the two countries,” said the official, adding that Rutte…
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