Rutte clears air in talk with Orban; Top NATO job big step closer

Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Brussels on Tuesday evening to talk and clear the air for Rutte’s appointment as NATO Secretary General. According to Orbán’s foreign spokesperson, that seems to have succeeded, NOS reports.

“It was a good and open conversation, and the two agreed that they would focus on the future,” Orbán’s spokesperson said. Sources close to the Dutch government also told NOS that they expect Hungary has given up its resistance to Rutte’s appointment.

Rutte and Orbán are far from on friendly terms, but Rutte needs the support of all NATO allies to get the top job. Slovakia and Romania have also expressed reservations. According to NOS’s sources, Romania is expected to drop its resistance now that Orbán is falling into line, and Slovakia’s resistance was mainly for the sake of form. With Orbán’s support, Rutte’s appointment is one giant step closer.

Earlier this month, Orbán said he had two demands before he would agree to Rutte’s appointment. He wanted NATO’s guarantee that Hungary would not be forced to assist Ukraine in the war against Russia, which is an ally of Hungary. Last week, the current NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, gave him that guarantee.

Orbán also wanted Rutte to apologize and retract his criticism of Hungary in 2021. At the time, Rutte said the EU should consider kicking Hungary out of the bloc if it introduced a new anti-LGBTQIA+ law and failed to adhere to the EU’s position on human rights and equality for everyone in every member state.

The Hungarian Prime Minister did not ask for an apology during Monday’s conversation, Rutte said afterward.