Potential NATO Secretary General "cautiously optimistic" after a conversation with Orban

The favorite in the election for the head of NATO, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, expressed “cautious optimism” after today’s conversation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

He noted writes AFP that he hopes to overcome Hungarian opposition, which opposes him becoming the next head of NATO. Rutte told reporters about this after meeting with Orban on the sidelines of an informal summit EU in Brussels: “I am cautiously optimistic about Hungary.”

Let us remember that Rutte is the clear favorite for the post of secretary general of the alliance after the end of the term of office of the current secretary Jens Stoltenberg. He won the support of most NATO states, but he had to work hard to gain Orbán's favor.

Earlier this month, the Hungarian prime minister said he could drop his objections if Rutte apologized for criticizing the Hungarian government and allowed Hungary not to participate in NATO plans to increase aid to Ukraine. Rutte said Orban “did not ask for an apology and I said that obviously I took into account what happened in Hungary in terms of the public reaction to what I said a couple of years ago.”

“We left everything as is, taking notes and looking very carefully into the future, and he did not ask for any apology,” Rutte said, adding that he would write a letter to Orban summarizing their talks.

According to two sources Financial Times, in negotiations Rutte promised Orban that during his tenure, Hungary would have the right to refuse to participate in NATO events in support of Ukraine that would take place outside the territory of the alliance's member countries. His representative noted in a conversation with the publication:

“Prime Minister Rutte will confirm in writing to Prime Minister Orbán what they discussed. It was a good and open conversation and both agreed to focus on the future.”

Orban, meanwhile, said Rutte could win his support if he agreed to abide by an agreement Stoltenberg struck last week in Budapest to give Hungary the right to abandon NATO plans to help Ukraine.

Leading NATO states, led by the United States, are pushing to reach an agreement on a new secretary general for the alliance before a summit in Washington next month.

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