Ukraine top of the agenda as Mark Rutte takes up NATO general secretary role.

NATO has to ensure that Ukraine "prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation," Mark Rutte said on Oct.

1, as he took the helm as the new secretary general of the military alliance. Speaking alongside the outgoing Jens Stoltenberg during a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rutte praised his predecessor's achievements during his tenure. "You've already mentioned the priorities you've been working on and these priorities we'll take forward in the future -- Ukraine," he said.

"We have to make sure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation." Rutte added that NATO members have to "spend more" in order to "increase our collective defense," adding: "NATO's partnerships... have to go wider, and deeper, given all the insecurities in the world." Answering questions from reporters, Rutte also addressed the upcoming U.S. presidential election, diplomatically addressing both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

"I know both candidates very well. I worked for four years with Donald Trump. He was pushing us to spend more, and he achieved it -- at the moment we are at a much higher spending level," he said, adding: "He was also pushing us off China, and he was right.

"Of course, Kamala Harris has a fantastic record as vice president, she is a highly respected figure. So, I hope, I will be able to work with both." Ukraine is still hoping to join NATO, and an invitation is part of Kyiv's victory plan, the head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak said on Sept.

24. Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022, half a year into Russia's full-scale invasion. The July NATO summit in Washington ended with the launch of the Ukraine Compact, a security framework signed by 32 allies.

The countries affirmed Kyiv's "irreversible" path toward membership, though Ukraine did not receive any definitive news about its future accession.

Who is Mark Rutte, NATO's new Secretary General

Editor's note: This article has been updated in light of Mark Rutte becoming NATO secretary general on Oct.

1. "There was a joke I heard the other day," Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told the audience of a Politico event in November 2023, as the mandate of NATO Secretary General