In addition to Slovakia, Hungary now also wants to support the Dutch Mark Rutte as the new Secretary General of NATO. The only thing missing now is an official statement of support. But that can be extremely difficult to obtain.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced the change on Tuesday on X. Rutte assured him at a meeting in Brussels that he would support an agreement Hungary reached with acting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Accordingly, no Hungarian personnel are allowed to participate in NATO activities in Ukraine.
Rutte wants to respect the deal
Furthermore, no Hungarian funds may be used to support these activities. Because Rutte would also support this deal as the new head of NATO, Hungary was prepared to support the Dutchman’s application for the top position in the military alliance, Orbán explained. Slovakia had previously given the green light for this.
“After a final conversation with Mark Rutte and consultations with the Slovak government, Slovakia can introduce Mark Rutte as NATO chief,” said Slovak President Peter Pellegrini.
Romania is still missing
The only thing missing is official support from Romania, whose President Klaus Johannis announced in March that he was also running for the top position. NATO’s Secretary General is appointed by consensus and therefore requires the support of all 32 members. Numerous countries have already spoken out in support of outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Rutte.
Incumbent NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg has already extended his term several times. The Norwegian wants to resign from his position in October after ten years at the head of the military alliance.
Dutchman apologized
For a long time, the resistance against Rutte came from Hungary. Citing insiders, NOS and RTL reported that Orbán did not repeat his demand for an apology from Rutte for his views on Hungary, which Orbán described as “problematic”. The apology was one of two conditions imposed by Hungary to confirm Rutte as Stoltenberg’s successor. The other – the guarantee that Hungary will neither have to provide money to Ukraine nor send staff there – was fulfilled by Stoltenberg last week.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
