As tensions over Greenland between Donald Trump and Europe neared boiling point this week, NATO boss Mark Rutte cemented his reputation as a "Trump whisperer" after the U.S. president dropped his tariff threats following a meeting in Davos.

Trump said he and Rutte agreed on a "framework of a future deal" on the entire Arctic Region, which would be "a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations."

While details were scant, the outcome was a ?diplomatic win for Rutte that steered the fraying transatlantic alliance back from the precipice, diplomats and political analysts said.