THE LATEST | CANADAFinancial Times: Rutte’s private conversation with Trump not only saw the US president withdraw his threat to impose tariffs on Europeans and ease his rhetoric about conquering Greenland, but it appeared to come at a very low price: a promise to open talks on the future US presence on the Arctic island.
A dozen friends, colleagues and former political allies and rivals of the former Dutch prime minister tell the FT that the feat was classic Rutte: a compromise built on personal connection and a laser focus on finding an outcome — lubricated by lavish praise for Trump that has often bordered on sycophancy.
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Rutte “has understood better than anyone else the submarine principle when dealing with Trump”, says one European diplomat who has worked closely with him. “You stay below the surface, don’t make waves, and surface only when you absolutely need to, to get something done.”…