Nato picks Dutch PM Mark Rutte as next boss

BRUSSELS - Nato on June 26 selected outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as Nato’s next boss, as the war in Ukraine rages on its doorstep and uncertainty hangs over the United States’ future attitude to the transatlantic alliance.

Mr Rutte’s appointment became a formality after his only rival for the post, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, announced last week that

he had quit the race

, having failed to gain traction.

Mr Rutte will take over on Oct 1 from Mr Jens Stoltenberg of Norway, who is stepping down after a decade in the post.

Ambassadors from the alliance’s 32 members took the decision during a meeting at Nato headquarters in Brussels.

Mr Rutte said he looked forward to taking up the job “with great vigour”.

“The Alliance is and will remain the cornerstone of our collective security. Leading this organisation is a responsibility I do not take lightly,” he posted on X.

After declaring his interest in the post

in 2023, Mr Rutte gained early support from key members of the alliance including the US, Britain, France and Germany.

Others were more reticent, particularly Eastern European countries that argued the post should go to someone from their region for the first time.

But they ultimately lined up behind Mr Rutte, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a staunch ally of Ukraine.

Mr Stoltenberg said he warmly welcomed the selection of Mr Rutte as his successor.

“Mark is a true transatlanticist, a strong leader, and a consensus-builder,” he said. “I know I am leaving Nato in good hands.”

Nato takes decisions by consensus, so Mr Rutte, who is bowing out of Dutch politics after nearly 14 years as prime minister, could be confirmed only once all 32 alliance members gave him their backing.

Mr Rutte will face the challenge of sustaining allies’ support for

Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion,

while guarding against Nato being drawn directly into a war with Moscow.

He will also have to contend with the possibility that Nato-sceptic Donald Trump may return to the White House after November's US presidential election.

Trump's possible return has unnerved Nato leaders, as the Republican former president called into question US willingness to support other members of the alliance if they were attacked. REUTERS