The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) on Wednesday appointed outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as its 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, following the withdrawal of his only rival for the post, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who announced last week that he had opted out of the race, having failed to gain traction.
Rutte will succeed Norwegian, Jens Stoltenberg who is stepping down after a decade in the post on Oct 1.
Ambassadors from the alliance’s 32 members decided at a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Rutte gained early support from key members of the alliance including the United States, Britain, France and Germany after declaring his interest last year.
He 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.
While a few candidates from the Eastern European countries argued that the position should go to someone from their region for the first time, they ultimately backed the Dutchman who is a fierce critic of Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
Stoltenberg said he warmly welcomed the selection of Rutte as his successor and he was certain he was handing over to a worthy successor.
NATO arrives at decisions by consensus so Rutte could only be confirmed once all 32 alliance members gave him their backing.
Rutte will face the challenge of sustaining allies’ support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion while guarding against NATO’s being drawn directly into a war with Moscow and there is also the possibility of a return of NATO-sceptic Donald Trump after November’s presidential election in the US