Mark Rutte To Become NATO's Next Secretary General

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will be the next secretary-general of NATO, the world’s largest military alliance. This development comes as Romanian President Klaus Iohannis informed that he is withdrawing his candidacy for the NATO top job. Mark Rutte will replace the current chief, Jens Stoltenberg, whose term expires in October.

Mark Rutte, who became prime minister of the Netherlands for the first time in October 2010, has been campaigning for the position in NATO since last November. He reportedly received the support of two-thirds of all NATO members when he announced his candidacy for the top post. This is mainly because of the 57-year-old Rutte's support for Ukraine and his 14-year-stint at the top of European politics. Rutte’s appointment is likely to be sealed by a meeting of NATO ambassadors in the coming weeks. Notably, Rutte will step aside formally as prime minister of the Netherlands when the right-wing government replaces his centre-right coalition.

Meanwhile, the Western military alliance is currently grappling with major challenges. NATO countries, spearheaded by the United States, are the source of 99 percent of the foreign military aid to Ukraine. Rutte will have a vital role in keeping this support. At the same time, Ukraine is also pushing for membership in NATO. However, world leaders are not ready for that step. The new chief's core task will be balancing expectations from Ukraine against the reluctance of leading allies.