Al Jazeera :
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has withdrawn from the race to lead NATO, clearing the way for Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to become the next secretary-general of the transatlantic military alliance.
All other NATO members had already backed Rutte, a staunch ally of Ukraine and outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to take over from Jens Stoltenberg, who is stepping down this year after a decade in charge.
This week, Hungary lifted its veto on Rutte’s candidacy after the long-serving Dutch prime minister gave written guarantees that he would not force Budapest to take part in the military alliance’s new plans to provide support to Ukraine should he be appointed.
NATO makes all of its decisions by consensus, giving any of its 32 member countries an effective veto, including on whether they should take part in any joint effort or operation.
Turkey had also voiced opposition to Rutte’s bid but lifted its objections in April.
With the war in Ukraine on NATO’s doorstep and European nations concerned about the possible return of NATO-critical Donald Trump to the White House after the November presidential election in the United States, alliance members concluded the highly experienced Rutte was the best person for the post.
As it announced Iohannis’s decision on Thursday, Romania’s Supreme Council of National Defence said it would donate one of the country’s two operational Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, responding to pleas from Kyiv to its allies for more air defence assistance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Romania’s decision “will bolster our air shield and help us better protect our people and critical infrastructure from Russian air terror”.