NATO Secretary General

No veto against Rutte? Orbán apparently changed his mind

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has received guarantees from outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Hungary may stay out of missions in Ukraine.(Bild: APA/AFP/Ludovic MARIN)

The Eastern European hurdles on outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's path to NATO leadership are becoming increasingly smaller. Slovakia recently signaled that it would support the Dutchman as NATO Secretary General. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is also likely to have changed his mind.

According to Dutch media reports, the right-wing nationalist politician is likely to have given up his opposition after discussing the matter with Rutte on the fringes of the meeting of EU heads of state and government in Brussels. Citing insiders, the broadcasters NOS and RTL reported that Orbán had not repeated his demand for an apology from Rutte for his views on Hungary, which Orbán described as "problematic". The apology was one of Hungary's two conditions for confirming Rutte as the successor to incumbent Jens Stoltenberg.

The other - the guarantee that Hungary would neither have to provide money for Ukraine nor send personnel there - was fulfilled by Stoltenberg last week. An official confirmation for Rutte is still pending. The Romanian government is also still hesitant. Especially as President Klaus Johannis declared in March that he would also run for the top job

Every member must approve the Secretary General
The current NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg has already extended his term of office several times. In October, the Norwegian intends to hand over the post after a decade at the head of the military alliance. The NATO Secretary General is appointed by consensus and therefore requires the support of all 32 members.