Acting Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte has secured the support of a number of Western countries that want to see him as NATO Secretary General.

This was announced on March 6 at a joint press conference with Rutte by the head of the French Cabinet, Gabriel Attal.

According to him, this Dutch politician is experienced and capable of acting in the interests of the collective security of the alliance.

“Of course, we support Mark Rutte’s candidacy for the post of NATO Secretary General - given his experience and ability to form very broad coalitions, as well as, of course, his ability to act in the name of our collective security, which he has been demonstrating in his post for more than one year,” - said Attal.

He also emphasized that his meeting with Rutte is primarily a demonstration of “power and vitality” in relations and cooperation between European countries.

“We - Mr Rutte, the French President and I - belong to the same European political family.

And, as we know very well, only Europe can give us the strength we need to respond to the many challenges that face us,” said the French Prime Minister.

He also recalled that both Paris and Amsterdam are “fully involved in efforts” to support Ukraine “in the fight against Russia.”

“We are fully engaged in the process and are making every effort to uphold democracy and our values ​​in the face of all those who threaten them.

Therefore, we will continue to help Ukraine militarily, economically, and humanitarianly.

And for as long as necessary,” Attal emphasized.

Earlier, in July 2023, Rutte announced that he had decided to leave politics, but in October, in an interview with the Dutch radio station Den Haag FM, he said that he was interested in receiving the post of NATO Secretary General, as this would give him the opportunity to contribute to the development of the situation in the country. international arena “in a period of serious global changes.”

Later, on February 21 of this year, the Politico newspaper reported that Rutte’s candidacy for the position of head of the alliance is supported by two-thirds of the alliance members, including US President Joe Biden.

As the publication's journalists noted then, support from the American leader will likely lead to an increase in the number of supporters of Rutte's candidacy.

The next day, the United States publicly supported Rutte's candidacy for the post of Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance.

As John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, noted in a conversation with reporters, the United States believes that...

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The Prime Minister of the Netherlands would make an excellent head of the bloc.

According to him, the United States has made this clear to its NATO allies.

  • Acting Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte

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  • © Patrick van Katwijk/WireImage

According to Reuters, the British government also supports the candidacy of Mark Rutte for the post of secretary general of the alliance.

Rutte is also supported by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who previously rejected the candidacy of European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen for the post of NATO Secretary General, Western media report.

At the same time, Hungary publicly refused to support the candidacy of the Dutch politician, who previously “wanted to bring Hungary to its knees.”

"A curious calculation"

As The American Conservative magazine noted earlier, Mark Rutte will become the next Secretary General of NATO, since his candidacy is supported by the United States.

“In the behind-the-scenes games of NATO bureaucrats, if not active support, then at least the tacit approval of the hegemon and the leader in contributions to the work of the alliance is really important.

For clarity, we can draw an analogy with the executive board of an organization, in which one individual or legal entity spends more on it than all the other board members combined,” the publication writes.

According to journalists, “despite Biden’s weakening cognitive abilities, he is guided by a “curious calculation”, supporting as a leader on the continent representatives not of ex-communist Eastern European countries, but of “old Europe.”

“This is a deliberate attempt to achieve its goal, a signal to the East (Europe -

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) to moderate its ardor,” according to The American Conservative.

Let us recall that in addition to Rutte, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins are also vying for the post of NATO Secretary General.

At the same time, The American Conservative admits that after the selection of a new NATO Secretary General, the United States will “limit itself to protecting the continental mass” of Europe and sea routes “with its naval and nuclear umbrella... while the rest of the security burden will fall entirely on shoulders of wealthy Western European countries."

"Continuation of the confrontation line"

As Nikolai Parkhitko, candidate of historical sciences, associate professor at RUDN, member of the Russian Military Historical Society, noted, despite the presence of a number of possible candidates for the post of NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte is the clear favorite in this race in the West.

“Of all the candidates, he is the most convenient for the United States: he adheres to an anti-Russian position and is ready to provide military assistance to Ukraine.

At the same time, Rutte is much more manageable and logical in his actions than von der Leyen with more obvious Russophobic inclinations or representatives of the rabid Balts.

The latter are asleep and see how to provoke a harsh reaction from Russia or stab the Russian Federation in the back.

Rutte is more pragmatic in this sense: it is not for nothing that he recently admitted that NATO and the United States will have to sit down at the negotiating table with Russia to discuss future security mechanisms,” Parkhitko said in a commentary to RT.

However, according to the expert, despite such statements, if Rutte becomes Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, he will certainly maintain the bloc’s course towards confrontation with Russia.

“For the Russian Federation, Rutte’s arrival as head of NATO will not fundamentally change anything, since he will pursue the same aggressive policy towards Russia as his predecessor Jens Stoltenberg.

The alliance's confrontational line will continue.

NATO will continue to increase defense spending and look for options to continue providing assistance to the Kyiv regime,” Parkhitko is sure.

In turn, Candidate of Political Sciences, Associate Professor at the Academy of Labor and Social Relations Pavel Feldman noted that the choice of the United States and its allies in favor of Rutte’s candidacy is consistent with the principles of the personnel policy of the NATO bloc.

“Over the past ten years, there has been a trend towards former leaders of the Northern European states, who take a moderately anti-Russian position, becoming Secretary Generals of the North Atlantic Alliance.

Rutte's candidacy currently looks like there is no alternative.

And if he takes the post of NATO Secretary General, he will differ little from his predecessors - Stoltenberg and Rasmussen.

All three are not professional military men, but have extensive political experience, adhere to liberal views and demonstrate loyalty to Washington,” the analyst explained in an interview with RT.

  • Soldier with NATO chevron

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  • © Michael Kappeler/picture alliance

According to Feldman, if Rutte becomes the new Secretary General of NATO, it is likely that he will direct his efforts to expanding the alliance’s infrastructure in the Baltic and Black Sea regions.

“In relation to Russia, he will avoid outright provocations.

However, the main challenge for the new leader of the North Atlantic Alliance will not be the imaginary “Russian threat”, but a possible change in the political leadership of the United States.

If Donald Trump becomes the owner of the White House again, then Europeans will have to quickly grow up and learn to ensure their own security,” the expert believes.

For his part, the deputy director of the Institute of Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the RUDN University, lecturer at the Knowledge Society, Evgeny Semibratov, in a commentary to RT, expressed the opinion that Rutte, as NATO Secretary General, will have to pursue a tough policy to increase defense spending among the countries of “old Europe” to confront Russia.

“As for the bloc’s attitude towards Russia, there really is no need to be optimistic.

The current level of escalation will not only be maintained, but also increased to higher levels.

However, unlike Ursula von der Leyen, Rutte will try to prevent a wider conflict from suddenly breaking out.

He is a more moderate option for this position, which is why Washington made this choice,” the analyst concluded.