NATO confirms Mark Rutte as new Secretary General
Acting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been officially appointed as the next NATO secretary general, replacing Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, the US-led military bloc announced on June 26. Rutte will take up the position on October 1.
.jpg)
The decision to appoint the 57-year-old veteran politician, the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history, known for his staunch support for Ukraine and his consensus-building skills, was made on June 26 by NATO's main political decision-making body.
Writing on X, Mr Rutte declared the appointment “a great honour” for him, adding that “the Alliance is and will remain the cornerstone of our collective security” and praising Stoltenberg for his “outstanding leadership over the past 10 years”.
Rutte's selection comes after months of contention for the post, with candidates including former UK defence secretary Ben Wallace, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. Rutte's appointment was all but sealed after President Iohannis became the last serious contender to drop out of the race last week, while Hungary and Slovakia said they would back the Dutch politician. Estonian Prime Minister Kallas is expected to replace Josep Borrell as EU foreign policy chief.
Hungary agreed to support Rutte after it was allowed to reject the bloc's efforts to support Kiev, while Slovakia backed his candidacy in exchange for guarantees that NATO would protect its airspace.
Rutte’s appointment comes as NATO countries continue to provide large-scale military support to Ukraine. The Dutch prime minister has described Russia as an “adversary” while supporting aid to Ukraine. At the same time, Rutte said earlier this month that while the West must “ensure that Ukraine wins”, “Russia will not disappear… and in the long term we have to find a form of relationship with Russia”.
Shortly after the appointment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that NATO was unlikely to change its overall policy towards Russia under the leadership of the new secretary general. “The alliance is currently hostile towards us,” Peskov added. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelensky wrote on social media: “We expect that our joint work to ensure the protection of people and freedoms in the entire Euro-Atlantic community will continue at a good pace.” US President Joe Biden believes that the next head of NATO, Mark Rutte, will be “excellent” and will promote efforts to support Ukraine.
