Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has been selected as the next Nato chief after his only rival dropped out of the leadership race.
Mr Rutte will become the secretary-general of the alliance on 1 October and will replace the current boss Jens Stoltenberg.
His selection was confirmed by Nato ambassadors during a meeting at the 32-nation alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday.
The outgoing Dutch premier’s appointment became a formality after his only rival for the post, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, quit the race last week.
The 57-year-old has been one of the driving forces behind Europe’s military support for Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion, and says defeat on the battlefield for Moscow is vital to secure peace in Europe.
“The North Atlantic Council decided to appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of Nato, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg,” Nato said in a statement.
“Mr Rutte will assume his functions as Secretary General from 1 October 2024, when Mr Stoltenberg’s term expires after ten years at the helm of the Alliance,” it added.
Although he is a critic of Vladimir Putin, Mr Rutte was perceived as less hawkish than possible candidates from central and eastern Europe, which made him a near consensus choice.
“He won’t stop at Ukraine if we don’t stop him now. This war is bigger than Ukraine itself. It’s about upholding the international rule of law,” Mr Rutte told the United Nations in September 2022.
Mr Rutte is a strong supporter of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he recalled meeting in Kyiv five years ago.
“It was clear even then: this is a man with a mission. I am convinced that Ukraine’s success largely depends on the mentality he conveyed from the very beginning,” he said in April.
By contrast, even while warning of the threat posed by Putin, he has suggested the Russian leader is not as strong as he seems.
“Don’t mentally overestimate Putin. I’ve talked to the man a lot. He’s not a strong man, he’s not a strong guy,” Mr Rutte said earlier this year.
Earlier this month, Mr Rutte overcame years of tension with Hungary’s Viktor Orban by persuading the leader to support his bid for Nato chief.
Mr Orbán said: “We reached an important agreement with Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg. We agreed that no Hungarian personnel will take part in the activities of Nato in Ukraine and no Hungarian funds will be used to support them.”
Mr Stoltenberg added: “Mark is a true transatlanticist, a strong leader, and a consensus-builder,” he said. “I know I am leaving Nato in good hands.”
