Romanian President Quits NATO Chief Race, Makes Way For Mark Rutte

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis withdrew from the race to lead NATO, clearing the way for Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to become the next secretary-general of the transatlantic military alliance, Luiza Ilie reported for Reuters.

Alliance members concluded that the highly experienced Rutte was the best person for the post. I Photo: European Council Flickr

All other NATO members had already backed Rutte, a staunch ally of Ukraine and outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to take over from Jens Stoltenberg, who is stepping down this year after a decade in charge.

With the war in Ukraine on NATO's doorstep and European nations concerned about the possible return of NATO-critical Donald Trump to the White House, alliance members concluded that the highly experienced Rutte was the best person for the post.

As it announced Iohannis's decision, Romania's supreme defense council said it would donate one of the country's two operational Patriot systems to Ukraine, responding to pleas from Kyiv to its allies for more air defense assistance.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Romania's decision "will bolster our air shield and help us better protect our people and critical infrastructure from Russian air terror."