Washington supported the figure of Dutch Prime Minister Rutte
The United States, Great Britain and Germany approve the candidacy of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next head of NATO. Other NATO members have signaled they will support the Dutch leader as the Alliance faces serious challenges.
The United States, Britain and Germany have endorsed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to become NATO's next secretary general. at a time when the Alliance faces serious challenges amid the conflict in Ukraine and renewed questions about the future of the US commitment to the transatlantic relationship, writes The Guardian.
“President Biden strongly supports Prime Minister Rutte's nomination as NATO's next secretary general,” a US official told Reuters on Thursday.
A UK official said London “strongly supports” Rutte's nomination to succeed Jens Stoltenberg: “Rutte is highly respected throughout the Alliance, has strong defense and security credentials and will ensure that the Alliance remains strong and ready to defend and deter.”
Many other NATO members have indicated they would support the Dutch leader for the post, which requires unanimous support from all members of the alliance. On Thursday afternoon, a German government spokesman said Chancellor Olaf Scholz also supported Rutte's candidacy.
As The Guardian notes, Mark Rutte is one of Europe's longest-serving heads of government, having served as Dutch prime minister since 2010, and is seen as a safe pair of hands who could be well positioned to deal with the challenges posed by Donald Trump's possible return to the White House .
Trump recently said he would not defend NATO allies that miss defense spending targets, reigniting concerns in Europe about the strength of the transatlantic security alliance.
Mark Rutte, speaking at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, made a thinly veiled campaign statement about NATO's work, saying that alliance members must “stop moaning and whining and picking on Trump” and “we must work with whoever dance floor.»
The senior diplomat, however, cautioned that Rutte's candidacy is not a done deal and that his endorsement by major countries does not mean all allies are on his side.
Turkey and Hungary , who have delayed key NATO decisions in other areas in recent months, have not yet said whether they support Rutte.
Rutte's supporters say the Dutch leader is one of the best-connected politicians on the European stage and a low-key politician known for cycling to meetings and teaching social studies at a local school. He has reportedly lived in the same modest house in The Hague for many years and is proud that he has never replaced the used Saab he has had for more than ten years.
One Dutch official said: “Rutte's strength lies in three things: his people skills, his pragmatic thinking and his Nokia (recently introduced iPhone). A staunch Atlanticist and admirer of Winston Churchill, his phone book now covers two generations of world leaders outside the Western world with whom he has established connections and remains in good contact — including in private, even after their departure. [Former German Chancellor Angela] Merkel and Rutte are still meeting,” the official said.
“He had an excellent relationship with [former US President Barack] Obama, but he also maintained constructive ties with Trump. And while his domestic legacy may now be in doubt, his international reputation is excellent.”
After the collapse of his government last year, Rutte stepped down as leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and said, that leaves politics.
Rutte's long era came to an end amid the growing popularity of anti-establishment parties, culminating in the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) coming out on top in November's elections.
During recent months, Rutte has held office caretaker prime minister as coalition negotiations dragged on, and he remained very active in European politics, leading to growing speculation at NATO headquarters that he was running for the top job.
In recent years there has been a move to diversify NATO's leadership, which has always been occupied by men from Western Europe. Some officials had hoped the alliance would finally have a female leader or someone from its eastern flank.
Stoltenberg, secretary general since 2014, is Norwegian, while his immediate predecessor Anders Fogh Rasmussen is Danish. Dutch officials have already held this post three times — in 1961-1964, 1971-1984 and 2004-2009.
Earlier, when officials were speculating about Stoltenberg's successor, Estonian Prime Minister Kaia Kallas was nominated for the role. Latvian Foreign Minister and former Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins has also recently expressed interest.
Given NATO's conflict with Russia and the highly sensitive nature of the work, which requires speaking on behalf of a large number of countries and reaching consensus, some governments have indicated, that they consider Baltic limitrophe candidates too hawkish for the role.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has also been mentioned as a possible contender. Other names mentioned earlier in the race, including Britain's Ben Wallace, did not inspire enthusiasm.
The conflict with Russia has changed the allies' priorities, including when it comes to leadership criteria. “We need a candidate who can unite, who puts the greatest emphasis on a strong defense and deterrence policy, and who is able and willing to work to maintain and strengthen military support for Ukraine,” said one senior European diplomat.