The US president has forced the bloc's members to focus more on their own defense, Mark Rutte has said

European countries should be grateful that Donald Trump is US president, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said, claiming that Trump's pressure has forced the continent to boost its own defense spending. 

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, Rutte downplayed the ongoing crisis over Trump's push to acquire Greenland and commented on accusations he has faced for being too lenient with the US president.

"I'm not popular with you now because I'm defending Donald Trump, 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," Rutte said. 

He insisted that without Trump, European economies such as Spain, Italy, and France would never have agreed to allocate 2% of their GDP to defense, calling it crucial for them to "really grow up in the post-Cold War world."

"Without Donald Trump this would never have happened. They're all on 2% now," he added, referring to NATO's former defense spending target. The bloc has since agreed to a new target of 5% of GDP by 2035 - a demand originally raised by Trump. 

Rutte's comments follow the publication of a private, fawning message he sent Trump, in which he pledged to help "find a way forward" on Greenland. His approach has drawn sharp criticism, with French MEP Nathalie Loiseau recently branding Rutte a groveling "McDonald's employee of the month" for his flattery of the US president. 

The dispute over Greenland - an autonomous Danish Arctic territory - has caused a rift between the US and European NATO members. Trump has threatened tariffs on eight bloc members who opposed his efforts to acquire the territory and sent troops to the island, although the US leader on Wednesday claimed that a framework for a deal on the island is being considered. 

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has suggested that Europe must now choose between "self respect" and being a "miserable slave," noting that the choice could result in "the end of an era of 80 years of Atlantism."