Mark Rutte will be the next secretary general of NATO after all 32 members of the alliance agreed that the outgoing prime minister of the Netherlands will succeed Jens Stoltenberg.
Following endorsements from Hungary and Slovakia on Tuesday, Romania today confirmed its support for Rutte, with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis withdrawing his candidacy for the top NATO post.
Rutte will take over NATO at a critical time. His term will begin on October 2, just over a month before the US election, which will affect the fate of the military alliance that has served as a deterrent to an aggressive Russia. Former US President Donald Trump, the current Republican candidate, has pledged to stay in NATO but threatened to cut US aid to Ukraine if re-elected.
Observers, however, credit Rutte for his ability to strike deals with politicians from diverse backgrounds.
