Changing chairs in Brussels: Staff moves to top positions in the EU and NATO involve complex deals behind the scenes.
First of all, current Commission President Ursula von der Leyen should become NATO Secretary General. But Chancellor Olaf Scholz is said to have used his veto because von der Leyen was too keen to escalate the Ukraine war. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte now has the best chance to lead NATO. In addition to Germany, France, Great Britain, the United States and Turkey have already spoken in favor of the Dutchman.
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The agreement with Orban includes exceptions for Ukraine
Now Rutte must rally the 32 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). For a long time, the biggest opponent has been Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who maintains a close relationship with Russia and often deviates from the official NATO-EU line in the Ukraine war. But Orban suddenly announced on Tuesday that Hungary was ready to support Rutte’s request. How did the change of heart happen?
Rutte and Orban are said to have met on Monday evening on the sidelines of the European Union summit in Brussels. The Financial Times also quoted people who participated in the meeting mentionedRutte is said to have made an offer to the Hungarian Prime Minister to secure his support. According to the report, Rutte promised that during his term as head of NATO, Hungary will be allowed to stay away from all activities that concern Ukraine and do not take place on the territory of NATO member states.
Orban cited a letter from Rutte addressing Hungarian demands as a reason to surrender on the personnel issue on Tuesday. Among other things, it concerns Hungary’s desire to ensure that it will not be pressured to participate in a planned NATO operation to coordinate arms shipments to Ukraine.
Last week, acting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Orban that Hungary could withdraw from NATO activities supporting Ukraine. This includes a plan to provide long-term financial support to Kiev and to train Ukrainian forces. “I think this is a good solution that allows us to provide more support to Ukraine within NATO without Hungary blocking it,” Stoltenberg said at a press conference on June 13.
Romania has not yet decided on the current Dutch Prime Minister. Finally, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis himself is running for this position. Slovakia, which was also among Rutte’s skeptics, dropped its opposition on Tuesday. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said: “After a final discussion with Mark Rutte and consultations with the Slovak government, Slovakia can appoint Mark Rutte as head of NATO.”