Former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte is now the secretary general of NATO after a handover ceremony at alliance headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday.
Rutte thanked NATO allies for trusting him with the leadership role, succeeding former secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. “It is a big job, and I have big shoes to fill,” he said.
NATO’s 32 members appointed Rutte during the summer after the Dutch politician secured the early backing of the United States, Germany and Britain in spite his record of low defence spending in government.
Rutte takes over at a challenging time for the Western defence alliance, facing down the threat of a more aggressive Russia while supporting Ukraine’s defence against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s all-out invasion.
