Who can lead NATO instead of Stoltenberg and why is it important for Ukraine

Next year, Jens Stoltenberg will step down from the position of NATO Secretary-General, and it has been settled. The name of his successor has not yet been determined, and it is significant. However, there is a candidate who has every chance of becoming a compromise and is not "toxic" for either Ukraine or the United States.

Read more in the article by Sergiy Sydorenko, European Pravda's editor - Who will become new NATO Secretary-General? Everything about 'competition' within Alliance and its likely winner. Why is it important for Ukraine who leads NATO?

The secretariat, which is accountable to the Secretary-General, proposes solutions for member countries within the Alliance. Another role of the NATO Secretary-General is to seek consensus. In most situations where there is no unanimity among countries, the Secretary-General and their team are actively engaged in finding a compromise.

So, the Secretary-General often determines whether the final decision will be in favour of Ukraine or not. If we look at the dates, it may seem that replacing the NATO Secretary-General is not a pressing issue. Jens Stoltenberg's mandate has been extended until the end of September 2024.

But, in reality, decisions will need to be made much earlier. The official announcement of the new Secretary-General's name will be made at the NATO summit scheduled for July 9-11, and their actual confirmation will take place before that. And there is a candidate who immediately became the favourite in the unofficial "competition" - the current Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte.

Rutte has been leading the government of this country for 13 years. However, during the political crisis in the Netherlands last summer, he was forced to resign and call snap elections. He unexpectedly announced that he was leaving the leadership of his party and, in general, was retiring from Dutch politics.

At that time, it surprised everyone because there were no demands for the prime minister's resignation during the crisis. Rutte could have won the elections again. It was evident that a successful 56-year-old politician was retiring early.

For several months, Mark Rutte remained silent about his plans until the end of October 2023 when he declared that he found the position of NATO Secretary-General "very interesting" and is considering of taking it. However, there is a chance that Rutte may face strong competition from a candidate who meets all four requirements for NATO Secretary-General: Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. Her appointment could fulfil the gender equality requirement.

But for now, the Dutch politician remains the favourite. For Ukraine, both options would be a success. However, it's too early to celebrate.

The race for the NATO Secretary-General is still ongoing.

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