“Ukraine belongs in Nato” says Rutte as he takes over the helm

Former prime minister Mark Rutte has been sworn in as secretary-general of Nato as the military alliance faces some of the biggest challenges in its 75-year history.

Rutte will need all his skills as a coalition builder to hold together a transatlantic partnership that swelled to 32 nations with the accession of Finland and Sweden in the last 18 months.

He will also marshal efforts to persuade all European member states to raise their spending to the alliance’s baseline of 2% of GDP – a standard the Netherlands never achieved during his 14 years in charge.

Rutte will also be responsible for ensuring the alliance remains firm in its support for Ukraine, despite the reservations of leaders such as Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, who recently said his country would be a member but “not a participant” in operations beyond its borders.

In a short installation ceremony in Brussels on Tuesday, Rutte said his three priorities would be to keep Nato strong, sustain support for Ukraine and reinforce its partnerships with other countries and regional powers such as the European Union.

Rutte said investment and innovation were needed to “ensure our defences remain effective and credible”. “There is no cost-free alternative if we are to rise to the challenges ahead.”

Flight MH17

He also said bringing Ukraine closer to Nato was one of the alliance’s key priorities.

Rutte referred to the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 in 2017, as proof that the war with Russia was not confined to Ukraine’s borders. The passenger plane took off from Amsterdam and two-thirds of the 298 passengers and crew who died were Dutch.

“There can be no security in Europe without a strong independent Ukraine,” he said. “Ukraine’s rightful place is in Nato.”

Rutte said global security had to be a “team effort” with nations around the world.

The 57-year-old Rutte is the 14th secretary-general of Nato and the fourth Dutchman to hold the post. He succeeds former Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, who headed the organisation for a decade.

Home from home

Stoltenberg, 65, stressed the importance of Rutte ensuring he did not “compromise on our core values and principles” as he passed on the gavel symbolising Rutte’s role as chairman.

“You know Nato well and you are well known across the alliance. You have the perfect background and the experience to become a great secretary-general,” Stoltenberg said.

Rutte said the Nato job was the only post that could tear him away from his home city of The Hague, though he is expected to go back there for non-working weekends.

He said of his new base in Brussels: “It is a city I have got to know over the years thanks to the endless amount of EU meetings I have attended. It is now my home away from home.”