Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is named Secretary-General of NATO

Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, has been chosen by NATO ambassadors to be the next Secretary-General, replacing Jens Stoltenberg of Norway.

In the midst of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and growing uncertainty regarding the United States’ future position regarding the transatlantic alliance, NATO formally chose Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as Head of the organization.

NATO ambassadors made the appointment during a meeting at the headquarters of the 32-nation alliance in Brussels. This move comes after his only rival, President Klaus Iohannis of Romania, withdrew from the contest last week due to a lack of adequate support.

The incumbent Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg of Norway, who is 57 years old, will step down on October 1 and be replaced by Rutte. Shortly after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Stoltenberg took office.

Leading NATO countries, including as the United States, Britain, France, and Germany, gave Rutte early support for the position. Rutte has been the prime minister of the Netherlands for almost 14 years. At first, a few countries in Eastern Europe expressed reluctance and supported a candidate from their area to fill the post for the first time. But in the end, they came together in support of Rutte after realizing how strongly he opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin and how he stood by Ukraine.

All 32 NATO countries have to agree on Rutte’s confirmation, which was accomplished last week. His leadership will be essential to preserving the backing of allies for Ukraine’s resistance to Russian aggression while making sure NATO stays out of Moscow’s affairs.

Dealing with the possible fallout from NATO skeptic Donald Trump’s return to the White House will be another big task for Rutte. NATO chiefs expressed reservations about the United States’ commitment to supporting members of the organization when they came under assault due to Trump’s prior presidency.