The decisive meeting was in Brussels on Monday between Rutte and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, where the Dutchman promised to continue in Stoltenberg's footsteps.
“I'm cautiously optimistic,” Rutte said in a press conference afterward.
It is now followed by an official message from Orban via
“After yesterday's meeting in Brussels, Prime Minister Mark Rutte confirmed that he fully supports this settlement and will continue to do so if he becomes the next Secretary General of NATO. In light of this promise, Hungary is ready to support Prime Minister Rutte.”
Even Slovakia, which had not previously spoken publicly on behalf of Rutte, stood behind him on Tuesday, President Peter Pellegrini announced according to the Slovak news agency TASR.
Consequently, at least 31 of NATO's 32 member states now support Rutte as Stoltenberg's successor.
All that remains is Romania, which has so far stuck to Rutte's only rival: outgoing Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
If Iohannis agrees, Rutte could be welcomed in time for the next NATO summit in Washington on July 10-11.
According to sources from the Dutch public service company NOS, Iohannis intends to withdraw “soon.”
The new NATO Secretary General could then take office on October 1, when Jens Stoltenberg's ten-year term as Secretary General of the Alliance ends.
One of Rutte's first tasks will then be to prepare for next year's NATO summit, which will be held in The Hague, Netherlands, from June 24 to 26, 2025.
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