Mark Rutte

Former Defense Minister of Bulgaria, Professor Todor Tagarev, expressed skepticism regarding Ukraine's immediate NATO membership prospects, attributing this to the differing positions of certain member countries, as reported by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) amidst the NATO summit in Washington.

King Willem-Alexander of Netherlands (R) and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof arrive for the signing of the Royal Decrees at Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, on July 2, 2024.

The European Council Meeting on June 27th and 28th will primarily focus on appointing the new President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Policy.

The delayed agreement on staffing top positions in the EU‘s institutions for the next five years has finally been reached, after causing reasonable concerns.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni vented her anger on Wednesday over her exclusion from negotiations over the EU's top jobs, saying unnamed leaders were acting like "oligarchs" and betraying voters.

Mark Rutte, selected as the new NATO Secretary General, is a staunch critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a dedicated supporter of Ukraine. His nearly 14 years as the Dutch Prime Minister have honed his ability to broker concessions.

Türkiye has congratulated Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for his appointment as the new NATO Secretary General, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on June 26.

"We congratulate Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was announced as the new NATO Secretary General with the consent of all allies," read the statement.

The permanent representatives of NATO countries have selected Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, as the next Secretary General of the Alliance. Rutte will take over from Jens Stoltenberg on October 1, when Stoltenberg's term concludes.

NATO's 32 nations on Wednesday appointed outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the alliance's next head, handing him the job at a crucial moment with Russia on the march in Ukraine and U.S. elections looming.

NATO appointed Mark Rutte as its next secretary-general on Wednesday, putting the outgoing Dutch prime minister in charge of the world's biggest security organization at a critical time for European security as war rages in Ukraine.