Rutte to be next NATO chief after Iohannis withdraws from race

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis withdrew his bid to become the next NATO Secretary General at a meeting of Romania's Supreme Council of National Defence on June 20, and asked the council to support Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's candidacy.

The Supreme Council of National Defence "declared in favor of Romania's support of the Dutch prime minister's candidacy," Iohannis announced on his website.

Romania was the last of the 32 NATO allies to support Rutte's candidacy, after Hungary and Slovakia endorsed Rutte on June 18.

Orban said he endorsed Rutte after the Dutch prime minister pledged he would support Budapest in opting out of NATO initiatives to support Ukraine.

The same day, current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described Rutte as a "very strong candidate" with a "lot of experience as prime minister." Rutte has been prime minister of the Netherlands since 2010.

Stoltenberg's mandate as Secretary General will end on Oct. 1, 2024.

During the same Supreme Council of National Defence meeting, Romania announced it will transfer a Patriot air defense system to Ukraine.

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The Kyiv IndependentElsa Court