Summary of the day
The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, is set to become the next Nato secretary-general, after Klaus Iohannis, the Romanian president, withdrew from the race.
During a visit to Vietnam today, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said that Moscow and Hanoi are interested in building what he called a reliable security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region.
Putin also said Russian companies were ready to invest in liquified natural gas projects in Vietnam.
South Korea’s presidential office has condemned an agreement reached by Russia and North Korea that vowed mutual defence assistance in the event of war, and said the country will reconsider its policy of limiting its support to Ukraine to non-lethal supplies.
Four people were killed and four injured as a result of Russian shelling in northern Donetsk, a Ukrainian official said.
Russian missile and drone attacks caused “significant” damage to a thermal power plant and maintained pressure on the electricity grid.
Denys Shmyhal, the Ukrainian prime minister, has said that Kyiv and the EU “have extended the agreement on the liberalisation of freight transport by one year, with the possibility of an automatic extension until the end of 2025.”
EU ambassadors agreed on a 14th package of sanctions targeting Russia.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, said today that he is “grateful to Zambia for joining the Peace Summit’s Communiqué and supporting efforts to achieve a sustainable, comprehensive, and just peace.”
Mark Rutte was selected as a compromise candidate for the top Nato post, which requires the unanimous agreement of the defensive alliance’s 32 members.
He was picked in large part because he is seen as an experienced politician on the international stage who is very pro-Ukraine but not as hawkish as possible candidates from the alliance’s eastern flank.
But he faced some obstacles, including initial opposition from Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, and a rival candidacy from Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis.
Rutte, whose government had been a voice advocating for respect for rule of law norms in the EU, met with Orbán on the sidelines of an EU leaders’ dinner earlier this week.
Following the meeting, Orbán dropped his objections – in return for written assurances from the Dutch leader.
Explaining his decision, Orbán wrote:
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.
Our next step this week was to ensure that this agreement can stand the test of time. After yesterday’s meeting in Brussels, PM Mark Rutte confirmed that he fully supports this deal and will continue to do so, should he become the next Secretary General of NATO.
In light of his pledge, Hungary is ready to support PM Rutte’s bid for NATO Secretary-General.
Updated
