News Feed

Stoltenberg names Rutte a 'very strong candidate' for next NATO Secretary General

1 min read
Stoltenberg names Rutte a 'very strong candidate' for next NATO Secretary General
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attend a press meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on April 17, 2024. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg endorsed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as his successor for the first time on June 18, describing him as a "very strong candidate."

Stoltenberg was speaking at a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shortly after news emerged that Slovakia and Hungary announced their support for Rutte's bid.

NATO allies choose the chief of the alliance on the basis of consensus. Twenty-nine NATO members have already backed Rutte as Stoltenberg's successor, with Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania long being the remaining holdouts.

"It's not for me to select my successor," Stoltenberg said, but added that "Rutte is a very strong candidate.

"He has a lot of experience as prime minister, he's a close friend and colleague," Stoltenberg said.

With Romanian President Klaus Iohannis still officially in the running, Bucharest has not yet announced its support for Rutte's candidacy.

Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported that sources confirmed that Iohannis will withdraw "shortly."

Avatar
Elsa Court

Audience Development Manager

News Feed

In a Russian attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia on the morning of March 21, a father and mother of two girls were killed, and 6 people injured, including two girls aged 11 and 15, Fedorov said. The girls are daughters of the parents killed in the strike, Ukraine's State Emergency Service later said.

Russian citizens Yurii Korzhavin and Lidiya Korzhavina were removed from the U.S. sanctions list on March 20, along with other individuals and entities linked to Russia. The Korzhavins were sanctioned in 2024 for their ties to the Russian transport and logistics company Elfor TL.

Show More