Ukraine is one of priorities - new NATO Secretary General Rutte
New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Ukraine would be the main issue on his list of priorities.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the EP.
Thus, before the ceremony of accepting the powers at NATO headquarters, Rutte noted that Stoltenberg's priorities during his tenure as Secretary General would also be his priorities in the future.
"Ukraine. We have to make sure that Ukraine survives as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation," he emphasized.
Deterrence and defense of the Alliance would also be among the priorities, Rutte added.
"We have to spend more. We have to increase our collective defense... One thing will not change. This is NATO's core mission: that we defend our people, our nations and, of course, our values," he concluded.
As reported earlier, on October 1, Mark Rutte officially becomes the new Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance.
What is known about Mark Rutte?
Rutte was born on February 14, 1967, into a Protestant family in The Hague. Rutte studied history at Leiden University, graduating in 1992.
He began his political career as a student, serving as chairman of the Youth Organization for Freedom and Democracy, the youth wing of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, from 1988 to 1991. After graduating from the university, he worked for ten years as a human resources manager at the food company Unilever.
In 2002, Rutte became State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment in the first government of Jan Peter Balkenende. From 2004 to 2006, he was appointed State Secretary for Higher Education and Research, Education, Culture and Science. In 2006, Rutte became the leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and held this position until 2023.
On October 14, 2010, Rutte became the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. He became the first politician to be elected to this position from the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. Thus, Rutte led the government for 13 years, the longest in the country's history. In February 2023, he announced his decision to resign after the formation of a new government following the parliamentary elections.
