Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, is edging closer to becoming the next Secretary General of NATO, following backing from Hungary and Slovakia. Hungary’s premier, Viktor Orban, announced his support for Rutte’s candidacy, contingent on the Dutch prime minister’s assurance to uphold an agreement Orban made with current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The agreement allows Hungary to opt-out of NATO obligations towards Ukraine.
Following Rutte’s commitment, Hungary expressed readiness to back Rutte’s bid. This announcement was made by Orban on X, Tuesday, citing a letter from Rutte. Earlier, Rutte and Orban met at a European Union summit in Brussels where they resolved past disagreements that had previously led Orban to stand against Rutte’s nomination.
In the same vein, President Peter Pellegrini of Slovakia announced his nation’s support for Rutte, on condition that NATO would oversee Slovak airspace protection following the transfer of military equipment to Ukraine.
In order to succeed Stoltenberg, whose term ends in October, Rutte must obtain the unanimous support of all 32 NATO member states. The alliance hopes to decide on a new Secretary General in time for the NATO leaders’ summit taking place in Washington in July.
Rutte’s nomination still requires the approval of Romania, who has proposed its own candidate, President Klaus Iohannis. However, Romania is anticipated to support Rutte provided he offers clear pledges to Eastern European security priorities and supports improved regional representation within the alliance.
Orban, known for his efforts to reduce Western support to Ukraine and ease sanctions against Russia, had been a potential obstacle to Rutte’s campaign. Rutte, a noted critic of Orban’s political maneuvers which led to the EU suspending a portion of Hungary’s financial aid over law-related issues, managed to resolve their differences at their recent meeting.