Joe Biden backing Dutch PM Mark Rutte to lead NATO

President Joe Biden has thrown his support behind Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to become the next NATO secretary-general.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte with Joe Biden in the Oval Office in January 2023. Picture: AFP

President Joe Biden has thrown his support behind Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to become the next NATO secretary-general, a US official said Wednesday.

Hours after it emerged Mr Biden had called Russian President Vladimir Putin “a crazy SOB”, it was reported that he was backing Mr Rutte to succeed Jens Stoltenberg later this year at a time of intense pressure because of the war in Ukraine.

The Politico news site reported two-thirds of NATO countries were backing Mr Rutte’s nomination, with Mr Biden’s support likely to be enough to persuade others to fall in line.

Mr Stoltenberg, who has led NATO since 2014, will step down in October.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Latvian Minister Krisjanis Karins had expressed interest in leading NATO as it prepares to mark it’s 75th anniversary.

As secretary-general, Mr Rutte will lead the response to the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and, if Donald Trump is elected president in November, how to handle a White House sceptical of the alliance.

Under NATO rules, a new secretary-general has to have the unanimous backing of all 31 member states, including Turkey and Hungary. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – who has refused to condemn Mr Putin – has clashed with Mr Rutte in the past.

Defence spending remains a top concern of the alliance. This year, 18 of the 31 countries are on course to spend the agreed 2 per cent of GDP on defence, up from seven last year.

Mr Rutte has in the past said the threat of a Russian attack on a NATO country was real, but “the best way to prevent it is to make sure that we have done everything to invest in our defence, making sure that the alliance stays strong”.

AFP