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NATO allies select Netherlands' Rutte as next secretary general
"The North Atlantic Council decided to appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of NATO, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg," the alliance said in a statement, adding that he would take over on October 1.
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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks during the debate about the developments surrounding the coronavirus crisis in the Hague, the Netherlands, on June 4, 2020. (ANP/AFP/Bart Maat )
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ATO's 32 nations on Wednesday appointed departing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the alliance's next head, at a vital time with Russia waging war in Ukraine.
"The North Atlantic Council decided to appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of NATO, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg," the alliance said in a statement, adding that he would take over on October 1.
Rutte's appointment became a formality after his only rival for the post, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, announced last week that he had quit the race, having failed to gain traction.
Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary-general, on Wednesday praised his successor Mark Rutte as a "true transatlanticist, strong leader and consensus-builder."
Rutte is a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putinand a staunch ally of Ukraine who honed his skills as a political dealmaker during nearly 14 years as Dutch prime minister.
Rutte, 57, has been one of the driving forces behind Europe's military support for Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion, and says defeat on the battlefield for Moscow is vital to secure peace in Europe.
His view is heavily influenced by the downing of an airliner over Ukraine in 2014, which the Netherlands blames on Russia, and in which 196 of the 298 victims were Dutch. NATO must be powerful to counter Moscow, and other European Union leaders must not be naive about Putin's Russia, he says.
"He won’t stop at Ukraine if we don’t stop him now. This war is bigger than Ukraine itself. It’s about upholding the international rule of law," Rutte told the United Nations in September 2022, seven months after Russia's full-scale invasion.
