The main candidate for the post of NATO Secretary General: who is Mark Rutte and what he said about Ukraine
On June 18, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that he was close to agreeing on a new candidate for the position of Secretary General of the Alliance, who became Mark Rutte, the current Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
Mark Rutte, who is key candidate for this position, has an impressive political career behind him. He was born on February 14, 1967 in The Hague and began his career back in 2002 as Secretary of State for Social Affairs and Employment. Rutte led the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy from May 2006 to August 2023, and since October 2010 he has served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, becoming the first Prime Minister from the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy since 1918.
Rutte is currently competing with other contenders for the post of secretary general, including Latvian Foreign Minister Kristianis Karinsh, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. Rutte’s appointment to the post requires the consent of all 32 NATO member states, and at this point he already has the support of a significant number of Alliance countries.
A particularly important aspect in Rutte’s assessment is his attitude to international politics, in particular to the situation in Ukraine. He actively supports Ukraine in its struggle with Russia, which is confirmed not only by his words, but also by concrete actions, such as the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and the signing of an important security agreement with Ukraine worth 2 billion euros
The issue of the new secretary general is expected to be decided at the July NATO summit in Washington, which will be held from July 9 to 11, 2024.
