William Molinié // Photo credits: JONAS ROOSENS / ANP MAG / ANP VIA AFP
06:15, June 27, 2024
On October 1, Jens Stoltenberg will leave his place to Mark Rutte, appointed Wednesday as the new Secretary General of NATO. He is the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, a seasoned politician known for being a man of consensus. Emails he will quickly be confronted with hot topics.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will take up his post as NATO Secretary General in October. He will have to face complex subjects, starting with the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House.
The Ukrainian question
During his campaign, the Republican candidate was very clear: American aid to Ukraine will be reduced. Enough to derail NATO’s plan in the event of a Russian offensive towards kyiv. Mark Rutte will therefore try to maintain aid to Ukraine, at least $40 billion each year.
However, Viktor Orban’s Hungary, for example, refuses to participate. The new boss of the Alliance will therefore have to master the art of compromise, while being very convincing because one of NATO’s objectives is for all members to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense. Some countries are still far from this. This is the case of Italy, which spends 1.5% of its GDP to defend itself, or of Spain, with 1.28%.
But Mark Rutte remains an experienced politician, presented as frank, direct, flexible and effective. Undertaking a new cycle at the head of NATO, even over the long term, should not frighten him. He has been head of the Dutch government for 14 years, a record mandate.
