NATO chief wanted

A clear path for Rutte? Hungary gives up resistance

Rutte has a good chance of becoming the new head of NATO.

(Bild: AFP/JOHN THYS)

Alongside Slovakia, Hungary now also wants to support the Dutchman Mark Rutte as the new NATO Secretary General. All that is missing now is an official declaration of support. But this is likely to be particularly difficult to obtain.

Hungarian head of government Viktor Orbán announced the U-turn on X on Tuesday. At a meeting in Brussels, Rutte assured him that he would support an agreement that Hungary had reached with the current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. According to this agreement, no Hungarian personnel are to take part in NATO activities in Ukraine.

Rutte wants to respect the deal
Furthermore, no Hungarian funds are to be used to support these activities. As Rutte would also support this deal as the new head of NATO, Hungary is prepared to support the Dutchman's application for the military alliance's top job, explained Orbán. Slovakia had previously also given the green light.

"After a final discussion with Mark Rutte and consultations with the Slovakian government, Slovakia can imagine Mark Rutte as head of NATO," said Slovakian President Peter Pellegrini.

Romania still missing
The only thing missing is the official support of Romania, whose President Klaus Johannis declared in March that he would also run for the top post. The NATO Secretary General is appointed by consensus and therefore requires the support of all 32 members. Numerous countries have already spoken out in favor of the outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Rutte.

The current NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg has already extended his term of office several times. In October, the Norwegian intends to hand over the post after a decade at the head of the military alliance. 

Dutchman apologized
Resistance to Rutte came from Hungary for a long time. Citing insiders, the broadcasters NOS and RTL reported that Orbán had not repeated his demand for an apology from Rutte for his views on Hungary, which Orbán described as "problematic". The apology was one of Hungary's two conditions for confirming Rutte as Stoltenberg's successor. The other - the guarantee that Hungary would neither have to provide money for Ukraine nor send personnel there - was fulfilled by Stoltenberg last week.