After the signing ceremony in Brussels, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte officially became the NATO Secretary General. He will replace Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, who has led the alliance since 2014.

At his first press conference as Secretary General, Rutte urged allies to "seriously increase defense spending" to meet NATO's challenges. "Satisfying the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin will cost much more than aiding Kyiv."

Rutte campaigned for months to gain the support of NATO leaders, most of whom he already knew from his 13 years as Prime Minister of the Netherlands and his work with various international organizations. A historian by education, Rutte is the preferred candidate of U.S. President Joe Biden and most European leaders.

One diplomat told DW that Rutte is known on the European Union side as "Mr. No" because he rejected reforms, plans, and ideas presented by French President Emmanuel Macron. However, Rutte has a good relationship with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and also maintains a positive rapport with Italy's right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Together, Rutte and Meloni presented an initiative to process asylum applications outside the European Union in third countries. Rutte needed more time to secure the support of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, promising that Hungary would not have to support Ukraine outside NATO territory.

Mark Rutte became Secretary General at a critical moment for the alliance, as many member states are concerned about the results of the U.S. elections. However, Rutte stated during the handover that he knows both candidates well and worked with Trump for four years.