Outgoing Dutch PM, Rutte becomes NATO next secretary general

Mark Rutte, the outgoing prime minister of the Netherlands, was named the next secretary-general of NATO on Wednesday, placing him in control of the largest security alliance in the world at a crucial moment for European security as the conflict in Ukraine rages.

NATO ambassadors sealed Rutte’s appointment during a meeting at the headquarters of the 32-nation alliance in Brussels.

At a conference in Washington on July 9–11, U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts will formally welcome him to their table.

Selected to lead NATO as secretary-general, Mark Rutte is a strong opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a devoted supporter of Ukraine. He spent nearly 14 years as prime minister of the Netherlands honing his diplomatic skills.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Rutte, 57, has been a major force behind European military backing for the country and believes that Moscow must be defeated in the battlefield in order to ensure peace in the continent.

The outgoing Dutch premier will take over from the current secretary general, Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg, on Oct. 1.

Stoltenberg spent more than a decade at the helm. His mandate was repeatedly extended, in part to provide continuity after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Some members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization had hoped Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas would become the first woman to lead NATO, but others saw her as too hawkish towards Russia.