BRUSSELS – NATO on Wednesday selected Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as NATO’s next boss, as the war in Ukraine rages on its doorstep and uncertainty hangs over the United States’ future attitude to the transatlantic alliance.
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.
Rutte will take over on Oct. 1 from Jens Stoltenberg of Norway, who is stepping down after a decade in the post.
Ambassadors from the alliance’s 32 members took the decision at a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Rutte said he looked forward to taking up the job “with great vigour”.
“The Alliance is and will remain the cornerstone of our collective security. Leading this organisation is a responsibility I do not take lightly,” he posted on X.
After declaring his interest in the post last year, Rutte gained early support from key members of the alliance including the United States, Britain, France and Germany.
Others were more reticent, particularly Eastern European countries which argued the post should go to someone from their region for the first time.
But they ultimately rowed in behind Rutte, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a staunch ally of Ukraine.
