Rutte doesn’t rule out NATO top job

Опубликовано: Sunday, 29 October 2023 21:04

Being NATO secretary-general would be ‘very interesting,’ outgoing Dutch prime minister says.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he doesn’t rule out taking on the position of head of the NATO defense alliance.

The post of NATO secretary-general is "very interesting,” Rutte said in an interview on Dutch radio on Saturday.

Rutte, who plans to leave domestic politics after the Dutch election in November, following his government’s collapse in July, has previously said he wasn’t interested in taking on such a large international role as the NATO leader.

But on Saturday, Rutte said being chief of the defense alliance would mean he "could still contribute."

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has changed NATO, and the members’ calculus about who can lead the alliance. The war has put a new spotlight on the organization, making the secretary-general job more politically sensitive and high-profile than in the past.

Jens Stoltenberg, who has been the NATO chief since 2014, over the summer agreed to stay on in the position until October 2024.

Rutte, one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders, has been linked with a number of top jobs, including the NATO post.