Mark Rutte takes over as new NATO Secretary General at NATO Headquarters in Brussels Oct. 1, 2024 (Credit: nato.int) 

By Gary Raynaldo    –  DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte officially took over as NATO Secretary General from his predecessor Jens Stoltenberg Tuesday at the military alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.  Stoltenberg’s term expired after ten years of leading NATO. The new NATO chief said Ukraine will be at the top of his priorities, stressing that “there can be no lasting security in Europe without a strong, independent Ukraine”.  Rutte, 57, is known as a staunch ally of Ukraine and a ferocious critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Secretary General also paid tribute to his predecessor describing his tenure as “exemplary” and adding that “today NATO is bigger, NATO is stronger and is more united than ever, that is in large part because of your leadership.”  Rutte also praised Stoltenberg’s “unwavering support” for Ukraine.  “Supporting Ukraine is the right thing to do. And it is also an investment in our own security. And the cost of supporting Ukraine is far, far lower than the cost we would face if we allow Putin to get his way,” Rutte told reporters.  

Former President Donald Trump has said he wants NATO allies to pay for their own defense. Trump even threatened that if he is elected president allies could lose U.S. protection from Russia if they did not pay up. But Rutte played down any concerns over Trump, saying he is not “worried” if he becomes president again.   “I worked with Donald Trump for four years. I’ve been in close talks with Kamala Harris. I respect them both very much. I am absolutely convinced that on this issue, they both see what is necessary. And when you take, for example, President Trump, thanks to him, we pushed up the defence spending,” Rutte told reporters.

Left to right: Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General Designate, takes the gavel from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at ceremony at alliance headquarters in Brussels Oct. 1, 2024. (Credit: nato.int)

Rutte was also critical of China’s military ties to Russia. “Through its support for Russia’s military industry, China has become a decisive enabler of Russia’s war in Ukraine,” the NATO chief said. “China cannot continue to fuel the largest conflict in Europe since the second world war without this impacting its interests and reputation.”

NATO is a military and political alliance of 32 countries from Europe and North America that was established in 1949. NATO’s goal is to “protect the security and freedom of its members through political and military means.”