Rutte, a staunch ally of Ukraine and outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to take over from Jens Stoltenberg, who is stepping down this year after a decade in charge.
His path was cleared after hungaray and turkey lifted their oppositions earlier this week. All other NATO members had already backed the Dutch Prime Minister.
NATO makes all of its decisions by consensus, giving any of its 32 member countries an effective veto, including on whether they should take part in any joint effort or operation.
With the war in Ukraine on NATO’s doorstep and European nations concerned about the possible return of NATO-critical Donald Trump to the White House after the November presidential election in the United States, alliance members concluded the highly experienced Rutte was the best person for the post.
