FT: Rutte offered Orbán a deal on Ukraine for the post of NATO Secretary General

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte promised to give Hungarian President Viktor Orbán the opportunity to withdraw support for Ukraine within NATO if he is appointed Secretary General.

This is reported by the Financial Times with reference to sources.

Rutte and Orbán, who have repeatedly clashed in the past, met on the sidelines of the EU leadersʼ dinner in Brussels on June 17.

The Dutch Prime Minister promised that during his tenure, Hungary will have the right to refuse to participate in NATO activities in support of Ukraine, which will take place outside the territory of the member states of the Alliance.

Rutteʼs press secretary said that he and Orbán had a "good conversation" and discussed mainly the results of the meeting between NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Hungarian Prime Minister that took place last week.

What about the election of the new NATO Secretary General?

The current Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, has been in office since October 1, 2014. Before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Stoltenberg officially refused to run for the next term and agreed to head the Central Bank of Norway.

His mandate was extended because NATO member states did not reach a compromise on a successor — this requires the consent of all member states of the Alliance. Stoltenberg will hold the post of Secretary General until October 2024.

Rutte is considered the most likely candidate for the post of NATO Secretary General. However, there may be difficulties with his election: Romania has its own candidate, President Klaus Iohannis, and Slovakia and Hungary have not yet declared their support for Rutte.