Dutch PM Rutte to succeed Stoltenberg as NATO chief, media reports

FILE PHOTO: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks to the media on the day of a European Union leaders informal summit in Brussels, Belgium June 17, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

WASHINGTON/AMSTERDAM/BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, a staunch ally of Kyiv and a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, will succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO chief, Dutch national broadcaster NOS reported on Tuesday, after Hungary and Slovakia backed him.

Speaking at a news conference alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, Stoltenberg neither confirmed nor denied the media report.