Mark Rutte, Former Dutch PM Becomes NATO Secretary General

Brussels, MINA – Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (57) was elected Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday, replacing Jens Stoltenberg.

Al-Jazeera reported that the new Secretary General is expected to continue support for Ukraine and strengthen NATO’s defenses in the face of Russian aggression.

Uncertainty about Western support for Ukraine has been a prominent issue amid the change in leadership. NATO has supplied Ukraine with almost all foreign weapons, but not military personnel.

Rutte and Stoltenberg performed a wreath-laying ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium to honor fallen soldiers in the alliance’s 75-year history.

Rutte has been known to be an unsupportive figure of Donald Trump as he once threatened not to protect NATO members deemed active.

Stoltenberg warned Rutte that his biggest challenge would be to keep all NATO leaders on the same page. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)