Mark Rutte has formally become the NATO Secretary-General.
The former Dutch Prime Minister took over the job from Jens Stoltenberg, more than three months after the alliance’s 32 members appointed him, at a ceremony in Brussels on Tuesday, October 1, 2024
He becomes the alliance’s 14th Secretary-General.
“Mark has the perfect background to become a great Secretary-General,” Stoltenberg said as he ended a decade in office.
“He has served as Prime Minister for 14 years and led four different coalition governments … therefore he knows how to make compromises, create consensus, and these are skills which are very much valued here at NATO.”
Jens Stoltenberg
Rutte will likely need to call on such skills to navigate uncertainty over future Western support for Ukraine.
Aside from the ambiguity around future US support, the European Union’s policies have been weighted down by opposition from the likes of Hungary.
Mark Rutte branded Ukraine his “top priority.”
Rutte pledged that under his watch, NATO would continue to back Ukraine.
Stating that he “cannot wait to get to work,” Rutte told journalists, “We have to make sure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation.”
“The cost of supporting Ukraine is far, far lower than the cost we would face if we allow Putin to get his way,” Rutte added.
Rutte mentioned Beijing’s support for Putin.
“China has become a decisive enabler of Russia’s war in Ukraine. China cannot continue to fuel the largest conflict in Europe since the Second World War without this impacting its interests and reputation.”
Mark Rutte
He also noted that, amid the growing war between Israel and Hezbollah, monitoring the situation in Lebanon is also at the top of his list.
The new NATO chief also asserted that he is not worried about the upcoming presidential election in the United States as he could work with either candidate.
It has been suggested that the Republican candidate, former US President Donald Trump, could cut support to Ukraine or weaken security guarantees for some NATO members should he return to the White House after the November elections.
Rutte noted Trump’s continued push for NATO allies to spend more on defence, but said he was not worried as he had worked with the US presidential hopeful before.
“He was also pushing us on China, and I think he was right there,” he added.
The NATO Chief also noted that ramping up Western defence industry production and deepening ties with partners in the Asia Pacific as important tasks.
No Change Of Policy Expected By Kremlin
Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said that Russia expects no change of policy from the new NATO chief.
“Our expectation is that the North Atlantic Alliance will stand pat in its policies,” Peskov told reporters.
The Russian presidential spokesman said that Moscow knows Rutte well as Putin has spent “hours” at the negotiating table with the former Dutch Premier trying to build a good and pragmatic relationship.
“But later, as we know, the Netherlands took quite an uncompromising stance against our country, so we doubt there will be any major change in the alliance’s policy course,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media that he wants to work “productively” with Rutte towards bringing his country into the military alliance – an idea that Russia has declared a red line.
“I wish him every success in this new role and look forward to working productively together to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security and our partnership with the alliance, as Ukraine continues on its path towards full-fledged NATO membership.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
READ ALSO: Hezbollah Denies Israeli Raid Claims
