Soltenberg leaves, Mark Rutte takes the leadership of NATO today
The former prime minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, takes over the leadership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on October 1. He takes the post of NATO chief with the task of holding the alliance together as the war in Ukraine is at a critical juncture and the important US presidential election is approaching.
In the ceremony to be held at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rutte will take over the post of Secretary General, which until now has been held by the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg. Stoltenberg has been at the head of the alliance during a turbulent decade, which has been marked above all by the invasion of Ukraine launched by Russia in 2022.
NATO officials and diplomats expect Rutte to continue Stoltenberg's priorities for the 32-member alliance: continuing support for Ukraine, pushing member states to spend more on defense and keeping the United States engaged in security. European.
Observers praise Rutte for his ability to strike deals with politicians from different backgrounds.