The new head of NATO, strong support for Ukraine

2024-10-01 18:41:27, Kosova & Bota CNA

The new head of NATO, strong support for Ukraine

Former Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte

Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte took office today as Secretary General of NATO, replacing Jens Stoltenberg, who led the military alliance for a decade.

New Secretary Rutte expressed strong support for Ukraine and said he was not concerned about the presidential election in the United States and would cooperate with either candidate. He took over the leadership of the alliance a few weeks before the presidential showdown between Democrat Harris and Republican Trump, who has been critical of NATO.

One of NATO's longest-serving chiefs, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg handed over the post to former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday, at a time when the military alliance faces some of the biggest challenges in its history.

"Dear Mark, I invite you to take your place as the new head of the North Atlantic Council," said Jens Stoltenberg, former NATO Secretary General.

Jens Stolteberg, NATO's 13th Secretary General, took office in 2014 when Russian forces intervened in Ukraine. Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula, prompting increased defense spending in the world's largest security alliance, which expanded under his leadership. He is the second longest-serving Secretary of the alliance, after diplomat Joseph Luns, who led NATO for 12 years.

New Secretary General Mark Rutte said his priorities are support for Ukraine, increased defense spending and strengthening partnerships the alliance has established with other countries around the world, especially in Asia and the Middle East.

"My second priority is to strengthen support for Ukraine and bring it closer to NATO, because there can be no long-term security in Europe without a strong and independent Ukraine," said the new NATO Secretary General . .

Mr. Rutte added that Ukraine's right to defend itself does not "end at its borders".

"Upholding Ukraine's right to defend itself means that they should be able to strike legitimate targets on the aggressor's territory. Ultimately, it is up to each of the allies to determine support for Ukraine, it is not up to me," he said.

Mr. Rutte also said that he was not worried about who could be the winner of the elections in the United States, where the Democrat Kamala Harris and the Republican Donald Trump, who has been a critic of NATO, will face each other.

"I am not worried. I know both candidates well. I worked for 4 years with Donald Trump. He pushed us to spend more (on defense) and he achieved that. Kamala Harris has done a very good job as vice president. She is a highly respected leader. I will be able to cooperate with both", he said.

NATO member countries expect Mr. Rutte to continue to pursue the priorities of his predecessor, support for Ukraine, increased defense spending and continue to maintain the United States' commitment to security in Europe.

NATO Secretaries General direct the headquarters, the work agenda of the alliance and speak on behalf of all 32 NATO member countries. Usually, when they take office, they have continuity as their key word.

Secretary Rutte takes the leadership of NATO at a time when Russian aggression against Ukraine is approaching the period of 1,000 days.

He will have to look for new ways to boost support for Ukraine among the ranks of the alliance, which has 32 countries, after the membership of Finland and Sweden, which sought protection from Russia under the NATO security umbrella./ VOA