All members of the North Atlantic Alliance have agreed that the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, will become the next NATO Secretary General, Politico informs.
It is emphasized that Hungary and Slovakia approved Rutte's candidacy on Tuesday, and today Romania gave the "green light." Its president, Klaus Iohannis, withdrew his candidacy, leaving Rutte with no competitors.
Politico underscores that Rutte will replace the current Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg only on October 2, which is described as a critical moment. This timing precedes the US elections by a month, which will determine the fate of the military Alliance.
Former US President Donald Trump, a Republican Party candidate, promised to keep the country in NATO but threatened to reduce American aid to Ukraine if re-elected.
Observers call Rutte a Trump whisperer for his ability to make deals with politicians of various origins, earning praise even from the former US president who stated, "I like this guy!"
Rutte was criticized for several reasons
Politico reminded that since November of last year, the Dutch Prime Minister campaigned for himself, and he was criticized for insufficient activity in mobilizing support from Eastern European countries.
They questioned his support for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project before 2014.
Rutte also failed to increase the Netherlands' defense spending to NATO's target of 2% of GDP throughout his 14-year premiership, but they are supposed to achieve this goal this year.
Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General
Politico also reminded that Stoltenberg's term has been extended four times. In 2017, NATO allies decided to extend the Secretary General's term until the end of September 2020. In 2019, they moved this date to September 2022.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to another extension of Stoltenberg's term, originally planned to last until September 2023. In July of last year, NATO allies agreed to extend Stoltenberg's term for another year.
"I'm absolutely confident that the alliance will be able to find a good successor," Stoltenberg said last week.
Mark Rutte is an active supporter of Ukraine's assistance
Rutte strongly supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He has advocated for the imposition and strengthening of sanctions against Russia in response to its aggression and annexation of Crimea.
Rutte has also supported providing financial and military assistance to Ukraine to strengthen its defense capabilities.