US President Joe Biden supports Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next NATO Secretary General, an American official told Politico.
Biden's support is likely to sway more allies to back Rutte's bid after months of him and several other European leaders vying for the post. The US official used anonymity to reveal the president's support for an issue he has not publicly supported.
The term of current NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who since 2014 has steadily navigated the military-political bloc through turbulent times in transatlantic politics, ends in October.
Pressure is mounting to approve Rutte's leadership bid ahead of July's NATO summit in Washington to mark the alliance's 75th anniversary.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kalas expressed interest in the NATO leadership post during an event. But NATO officials say she is not on the list because she has not announced her candidacy. The same goes for Latvia's foreign minister, Kristianis Karinish, who last year went on a mini media tour to test the waters.
Rutte's path to the post of secretary-general pits him against Russia as the alliance confronts Vladimir Putin's aggression two years after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And if former President Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office, the Dutch leader will have to deal with the Republican's skepticism about NATO and collective security.
Rutte declined to discuss his bid to head the alliance at the Munich Security Conference, which brought together world leaders this past weekend, saying he had learned his lesson back in October when he suggested he might be interested in the job.
"I made the mistake in October of talking about 'maybe I'm interested in this role' and then saying, 'I shouldn't have, so I decided not to talk about it anymore.'
Rutte has a long way to go before making any decisions. Under NATO rules, the secretary general is elected by unanimity, meaning Rutte still needs to win the support of all 31 countries. Any candidate for the post must pass through Turkey and Hungary, which have proven to be the biggest obstacles to accepting new members. Turkey has reportedly sought assurances before backing Rutte, while Hungary has long-standing differences with the Dutch prime minister.
Speaking to Dutch television over the weekend, Dutch defense chief General Ohno Eichelsheim said it was "very likely" Rutte would get the top job.
Defense spending remains a major concern for the alliance, with countries struggling to meet the ten-year defense spending target of 2 percent of GDP that the alliance set after Russia's initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
This year, 18 of the 31 NATO countries will finally meet the 2 percent standard, compared to just seven last year. The Netherlands has not yet reached that limit, but is on track to spend 2 percent this year. /BGNES
