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Mark Rutte, Dutch Prime Minister

Photo: REUTERS

Hungary's government is against the incumbent Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the new NATO Secretary General.

"We certainly cannot support the election of a person who previously wanted to bring Hungary to its knees," said Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in Budapest.

He was referring to Rutte's stance in the dispute between Hungary and the EU over rule of law issues.

Rutte had strongly advocated for the European Union to freeze billions of dollars in funds due to concerns about the state of the rule of law in Hungary.

The USA, Great Britain, Germany and France recently threw their support behind Rutte.

The 57-year-old was considered the favorite to succeed Jens Stoltenberg.

The NATO Secretary General is appointed by consensus and therefore requires the support of all 31 NATO members, including Hungary.

Dissent on NATO expansion and EU aid to Ukraine

Almost two weeks ago, diplomatic circles said that Rutte had so far had the informal support of around 20 NATO members.

Hungary - like Turkey - was considered a possible opponent of the candidacy.

Hungary and Turkey had previously opposed Sweden's accession to NATO for a long time.

On Tuesday, Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok signed the law ratifying Hungary's admission to NATO.

At the end of February, the parliament in Budapest approved.

Traditionally neutral Sweden, like Finland, applied to join NATO after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Hungary also often stands in the way when it comes to supporting Ukraine; Prime Minister Viktor Orbán maintains close relations with Russia and had long blocked an EU aid package for Ukraine.

Orbán only gave in at the beginning of February when he was assured of fair treatment in the dispute over funds frozen by the EU.

However, the payment was tied to further reforms.

Jens Stoltenberg is stepping down in October

Acting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has already extended his term of office several times.

In October, the Norwegian wants to finally step down after a decade at the head of the North Atlantic military alliance.

Rutte ist seit Langem ein scharfer Kritiker des russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin. Der Niederländer hat während seiner langen Amtszeit in Den Haag gute Beziehungen zu den verschiedenen britischen und US-amerikanischen Regierungschefs aufgebaut. Unvergessen ist auch, wie Rutte im Jahr 2018 dem damaligen US-Präsidenten Donald Trump widersprach  – »selbstbewusst, aber nicht konfrontativ«, wie es ein Nato-Diplomat ausdrückte. Trump strebt eine Wiederwahl an und hat zuletzt verstärkt mit kritischen Äußerungen über die Nato  für Aufsehen gesorgt.

mgo/dpa/Reuters