Is he the next NATO Secretary General? Dealing with Trump, having "grudges" with Russia Rutte | Secretary General | NATO

Release time:Jun 19, 2024 13:53 PM

On June 18 local time, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban said that since Dutch Prime Minister Rutte supports "a deal", Hungary is ready to support him to become NATO Secretary-General.

Public opinion believes that Rutte has cleared a key obstacle to the highest position in NATO, but the burden on the shoulders of NATO Secretary-General is not easy.

On June 18, Orban said on social media that the results of the European Parliament elections held from the 6th to the 9th of this month showed that many Hungarians seek peace.

Since then, Hungary has reached a consensus with the current NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg that Hungary will not "contribute money or manpower" to the Ukrainian crisis. This is not the first time that Hungary has sung a different tune from NATO.

Orban said Hungary was ready to support Rutte as NATO secretary-general, given that he had indicated he would support "the deal".

"Rutte also assured me that as NATO secretary general, his goal will be to treat all allies with the same understanding and respect," Orban said. The next step is to ensure that the consensus between the two sides stands the test of time.

Orban also posted a photo of him shaking hands with Rutte on the social platform, as well as a statement signed by Rutte.

Rutte said: "If I become NATO secretary-general in the future, I will fully support the outcome of the talks between Stoltenberg and you."

It can be said that by meeting the conditions proposed by Hungary, Rutte has cleared the key obstacle to the top position in NATO.

The current NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg took office in 2014 and has had his term extended twice. His current term will end in October this year.

Since then, his successor has emerged, including Estonian Prime Minister Kallas and Romanian President Iohannis.

Among them, Rutte has the support of major powers such as the United States and was once a popular candidate to succeed Stoltenberg.

Kallas is mainly supported by Eastern European countries, but some Western member states believe that her stance on Russia is too tough.

However, Rutte faces two major challenges in his bid for the position of NATO Secretary-General. One is the challenge from his rival Iohannis. But according to CCTV, sources confirmed that Iohannis will announce his withdrawal from the election in the near future.

The second is opposition from Hungary and other parties. The nomination of NATO Secretary-General requires unanimous approval from all 32 member states.

Previously, Turkey had changed its attitude at the end of April and expressed its support for Rutte. Slovakia also made a similar statement recently.

In this context, Hungary has become the last hurdle. It is reported that this has displeased Rutte's supporters, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany.

On June 5, Hungarian media published an exclusive interview with Orban, indicating that he might support Rutte to take over as NATO Secretary-General, but there are two prerequisites.

First, Rutte apologized for his "insulting remarks" regarding Hungary's judicial reform and other aspects.

Second, it promised that once it took over NATO, Hungary would not be allowed to participate in collective military operations against Russia in support of Ukraine.

On June 17, Rutte and Orban attended an informal meeting of EU leaders in Brussels, Belgium, during which the two had a private conversation. People familiar with the matter said that Rutte did not apologize for his past remarks, but he had a "good conversation" with Orban.

From this, it seems that Rutte has met Hungary's conditions to a certain extent, and both sides seem to have compromised.

Rutte's unsuccessful bid for the position of NATO Secretary-General is seen as highlighting the differences within NATO on issues such as the Ukrainian crisis.

As for the successor, Stoltenberg, who is visiting Washington, neither confirmed nor denied the media reports.

"He is a close friend and colleague, and I believe NATO will soon make a decision on my successor, which is good news for NATO and for me personally," Stoltenberg said.

Who is this potential new NATO Secretary-General?

Rutte, 57, worked for Unilever Group for a long time before entering politics. He became prime minister in October 2010 and was re-elected three times in 2012, 2017 and 2022. He honed his political deal-making skills in the past 14 years and is the longest-serving prime minister in the Netherlands.

Stoltenberg called Rutte "a very strong choice with extensive experience as prime minister."

Rutte is currently the caretaker prime minister of the Netherlands and will step down after the new Dutch government is formally formed, possibly in July.

As a potential candidate for NATO Secretary-General, Rutte's stance on the Ukrainian crisis has attracted attention.

Since the Ukrainian crisis escalated sharply in February 2022, Rutte has been one of the driving forces behind Europe's military support to Ukraine.

Under his leadership, the Netherlands increased its defense spending, crossing the NATO membership "threshold", that is, defense spending reaches or exceeds 2% of GDP, and provided Kiev with F-16 fighter jets, weapons and ammunition, etc.

Last year, the Netherlands also co-led an 11-nation alliance with Denmark to provide F-16 fighter jet training to Ukraine, which was seen as a "drill" for Rutte as a potential candidate for NATO Secretary-General.

Earlier this year, at the end of Prime Minister Rutte's term, the Netherlands signed a 10-year security agreement with Ukraine.

Rutte also cited the Ukraine crisis as a reason for his pursuit of the NATO leadership post, although he has hinted that after leaving politics he might go into teaching.

Public opinion has noticed that during Rutte's tenure as prime minister, the "grudges" between the Netherlands and Russia may have affected Rutte's views on Russia to a certain extent.

On July 17, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 took off from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and was heading to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It crashed in Ukraine near the Russian border, killing all 298 people on board, including 196 Dutch people.

In September 2016, a joint investigation team formed by the Netherlands, Malaysia, Ukraine, Belgium and Australia released a report saying that the passenger plane was hit by a "Buk" missile, which was launched from a village controlled by pro-Russian armed forces in eastern Ukraine. Russia firmly denied any responsibility for the crash of MH17 flight and accused the joint investigation team of being prejudiced against Russia.

If Rutte succeeds Stoltenberg, he will face challenges such as the prolonged Ukrainian crisis, intensified confrontation and antagonism around the world, and increased conflicts and contradictions.

Especially on the issue of the Ukrainian crisis, how to maintain NATO's support for Ukraine while preventing the situation from escalating and avoiding a war between NATO and Russia will be a test for the next NATO Secretary-General.

In addition, another concern of NATO is that the United States will hold a presidential election in November this year, and Trump may make a comeback.

Rutte has established good relations with many leaders of the United States and the West and is widely regarded as one of the most successful EU leaders in dealing with former US President Trump.

At last year's Munich Security Conference, Rutte said that no matter who wins the US election, leaders should stop "complaining about Trump" and instead work pragmatically with the president-elect.

Earlier this month, Trump's national security campaign adviser Keith Kellogg said he intended to push for NATO reforms after Trump's election, and that member states that failed to meet defense spending targets could lose the protection provided by NATO's collective defense clause.

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