NATO appoints outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as its next secretary-general

Mark Rutte’s appointment comes at a critical time for European security (Niall Carson/PA)

AP Reporter

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.

Rutte’s appointment was sealed by NATO ambassadors during a meeting at the 32-nation alliance’s headquarters in Brussels. U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts will formally welcome him to their table at a summit in Washington on July 9-11.