Mark Rutte, the long-serving Dutch prime minister, was officially appointed as NATO’s new secretary general on Wednesday, putting an experienced leader, strongly pro-Ukraine and known for reconciliation in the post. leader of the alliance.
Rutte, 57, will replace Jens Stoltenberg on October 1, at a difficult time for NATO in the wake of Russia’s war with Ukraine and amid a tight race for the US presidency that could yield Donald J. .Trump, who disparaged the union, returned to power.
The decision was sealed by NATO ambassadors during a meeting at the 32-nation alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, removing a potentially controversial issue from a summit marking the alliance’s 75th anniversary in September. arrived in Washington.
President Biden and his NATO counterparts will officially welcome Mr. Rutte to their table at the summit starting on July 9.
Long a favorite for Mr. Biden for the job, Mr. Rutte served as Dutch prime minister four times over nearly 14 years, building complex coalitions through debate and compromise. Those skills will serve him well in an alliance that operates by consensus, where one country can block the intentions of the others.
Mr. Rutte has rejected Mr. Biden’s request that he seek a job with NATO at least once before, forcing the alliance to extend Mr. Stoltenberg’s term for another year.
Currently serving as interim prime minister before the new Dutch government is sworn in, Mr. Rutte is known as a hard worker but an affable boss. A man of habit, the son of a car dealer, he has lived in a modest house with the same furnishings for the past 30 years.
Caroline de Gruyter, European correspondent for Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, writes in the magazine Foreign policy.
He is also famous for cycling to work, a habit that will have to change because his new job will require him to endure significantly increased security wherever he goes. He will also have to give up the weekly social studies class he has taught for years at a high school in The Hague.
Rutte will take over as NATO seeks to reassure Ukraine of its long-term commitment to its security at a time when it is facing increasing pressure from Russia after more than two years of war. painting.
Allies are also concerned that Mr. Trump, who is openly hostile to NATO and some of its leaders, could regain the presidency, even though Mr. Rutte very compatible with Mr. Trump while he was still in office.
In February, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Mr. Rutte told Europeans to “stop whining, whining and grumbling about Trump,” and instead act in their own interests by strengthen the army and produce more ammunition for Ukraine.
Americans will decide the next president, he said, adding: “I am not an American, I cannot vote in America. We have to work with whoever is on the dance floor.”
Mr. Rutte is popular among NATO’s biggest countries, but he needs unanimity. He essentially won the secretary-general post last week by agreeing to abide by a compromise that had been reached between Mr. Stoltenberg and Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary.
The illiberal democracy in Hungary espoused by Mr. Orban has been a source of tension for years with the European Union’s longest-serving leaders, including Mr. Rutte.
Mr. Rutte assured Mr. Orban, who is close to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and believes Ukraine should negotiate a settlement with Moscow, that no Hungarian personnel would participate in NATO missions to support Ukraine and no Hungarian funds will be used to support them.
Slovakia, another skeptic, later agreed to back Mr Rutte, and the final hurdle was cleared when the Romanian president abandoned his bid to become head of the coalition.
Rutte’s views of the Kremlin were deeply influenced by the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, with 196 Dutch people among the 298 killed by Russian anti-aircraft missiles fired by military forces. Russian fleet supplied to separatist forces.
In September 2022, seven months after Russia invaded Ukraine, Mr. Rutte told the United Nations of Mr. Putin: “He will not stop in Ukraine if we do not stop him now. This war is bigger than Ukraine itself. It’s about upholding international law.” He described Mr. Putin as “cold, brutal and cruel.”
Under Mr. Rutte, the Netherlands has increased military spending to more than 2% of gross domestic product required by NATO members, while also providing F-16 fighter jets, artillery, and drones. and ammunition to Kiev while investing more in its army. .
Known in the Netherlands as the “Teflon Mark” for his ability to forge compromises and get out of trouble, he will find his skills tested in his new role, not least because of his job as general secretary. Signing NATO is not about leading a large, diverse alliance but about keeping it together.
