Hungary expresses its backing for Rutte's candidacy as NATO's Secretary General.
Hungary expresses readiness to back Rutte's bid for NATO Secretary-General, as per Orbán's announcement on X. This declaration followed a meeting with Rutte on the margins of the EU Special Summit on Monday. Rutte subsequently expressed a degree of optimism about reaching an accord and promised a formal statement.
Orbán subsequently disclosed a letter penned by Rutte that was addressed to him. In this letter, Rutte guarantees Hungary that it won't be required to supply military or financial support to Ukraine within the NATO framework. This exemption had already been negotiated by Orbán during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Budapest the previous week. In his letter, Rutte vowed to "wholly support" Orbán as a potential contender for Stoltenberg's successor.
Orbán's initial opposition was due to Rutte's critical comments concerning rule of law matters in Hungary. In the letter, Rutte admitted that certain statements from 2021 had caused dissatisfaction in Hungary. Nevertheless, he failed to issue an apology, according to Orbán after the EU Special Summit.
Additionally, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini pledged support for Rutte, as per reports from news agency TASR. In return, Slovakia is anticipated to gain backing for its own air defense.
In February, the United States, Germany, Great Britain, and France had already voiced their support for Rutte. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) described the Dutchman as an "exceptional candidate" due to his "vast experience", "exemplary security policy expertise", and "exceptional diplomatic skills."
With this unconventional statement, the four principal NATO nations aim to influence the personnel issue. The NATO has been pondering Stoltenberg's successor for roughly three years. Since Stoltenberg announced in February 2022 that he would step down, multiple candidates have emerged, but none have secured the necessary consensus.
Recently, Romania's President Iohannis unexpectedly declared his candidacy against Rutte in March. He justifies this, according to Brussels reports, because Europeans from Eastern Europe have been underrepresented in the alliance so far. Diplomats, however, express confidence that Iohannis can be persuaded to withdraw.
Plans are in place to present Rutte as the new Secretary-General at NATO's anniversary summit in Washington in early July. Should he assume office in early October as Stoltenberg's successor, he would be the fourth Dutchman to hold this position since the establishment of the transatlantic alliance over 75 years ago.
Rutte has served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands for almost 14 years. However, his conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) experienced a significant defeat in the parliamentary elections in November at the hands of the right-wing populist Geert Wilders.
