Mark Rutte - The unrivaled choice for NATO Secretary General

According to The Guardian (UK), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has announced his support for his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte to become the next Secretary General of NATO, despite his previous opposition.

On the afternoon of June 18, Mr. Orbán wrote on social network X: “Hungary is ready to support Prime Minister Rutte's efforts for the position of NATO Secretary General.”

The leader also released a letter of reassurance he received from the Dutch politician earlier that day.

In the letter, Mr Rutte wrote to Mr Orbán: “I have been informed of the results of the negotiations between NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and you on NATO support for Ukraine. I understand that you have stressed that no Hungarian soldiers will be involved in these operations and that no Hungarian funds will be used to support Ukraine.”

The Dutch leader added that he would respect Hungary's commitment. "As the future NATO secretary general, I will fully support the outcome of this negotiation. I look forward to our future cooperation, no matter what the field," he stressed.

Shortly afterwards, Secretary General Stoltenberg said the process of selecting his successor would be completed soon.

Slovakia, another NATO member, has also said it is ready to back Mr Rutte, removing a major obstacle to Mr Rutte becoming NATO leader. “The Slovak Republic supports Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the head of the alliance,” Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said at a press conference.

To become the next leader of NATO, a candidate needs the support of all 32 members of the alliance. With Hungary and Slovakia announcing their support, the only remaining candidate to compete with Prime Minister Rutte for the post is Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. Romania was the only member to oppose Mr. Rutte's candidacy.

Speaking at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on June 18, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said: “With Prime Minister Orban’s announcement today, I think it’s clear that we are very close to concluding the selection of the next secretary general. Mr. Rutte is a very strong candidate. He has a lot of experience as prime minister. He is a close friend and colleague. And I think this is good news.”

“I strongly believe that very soon the alliance will decide on my successor and this will be good for all of us, for NATO and for me,” he added.

Mr Stoltenberg became NATO secretary general in 2014. His term was extended several times after the alliance failed to find a successor. But this year, after Mr Stoltenberg said he could no longer stay in the job, Mr Rutte stood up and quickly won the support of the US, UK, Germany and France.

Mr. Rutte, a center-right politician who served as prime minister for 14 years, announced his resignation a year ago. Observers expect Mr. Rutte to be replaced soon after lengthy negotiations to form a new Dutch government. He is also known as “Teflon Mark” for his ability to survive a series of scandals. Mr. Rutte has been teaching social sciences one day a week at schools in The Hague during his time as prime minister.

Next month, NATO will hold its annual summit in Washington, DC, at a time when Ukraine is seeking more support from Western countries. Mr. Rutte is expected to take over as head of lNATO after that summit, where discussions will focus on how to ensure long-term military support for Ukraine.

In addition to seeking to support Ukraine, which has not yet become a full NATO member, Mr. Rutte may face a series of challenges from Donald Trump, the Republican candidate and Joe Biden's opponent in the upcoming US presidential election. Mr. Trump has repeatedly voiced skepticism about the value of NATO, even mentioning that he would withdraw the United States from NATO if re-elected amid complaints about the defense spending of other members.

Earlier this week, Mr. Stoltenberg said more than 20 member states had committed to spending 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense this year, the initial target set by NATO in 2014.

Earlier this year, former President Trump said he would not defend any NATO member that violated or failed to meet its spending targets.