Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced on Thursday that he was withdrawing his bid for the leadership of NATO. This decision clears the path for Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to assume the role of secretary-general. The news came alongside Romania’s commitment to donate one of its operational Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, contingent on NATO allies replacing it with a similar air defense system.
This decision was made by Romania’s Supreme Defence Council (CSAT), chaired by Iohannis, citing the severe deterioration of Ukraine’s security situation, marked by continuous and extensive Russian attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. The council emphasized the regional consequences of these attacks, including Romania’s own security concerns.
Iohannis had previously informed NATO of his withdrawal from the leadership race last week. NATO’s decision-making process relies on consensus, requiring the support of all 32 member states. Romania had been the sole remaining country formally opposing Rutte’s candidacy.
Rutte, a steadfast ally of Ukraine and a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had been widely expected to secure the position since Tuesday when Hungary and Slovakia dropped their resistance.
As the next secretary-general of NATO, Rutte will face the challenge of maintaining allied support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion while concurrently preventing any escalation that could directly involve the military alliance in a war with Moscow.
Iohannis, whose second term as Romanian president concludes later this year, has consistently stressed the need for better representation of Eastern European states in Euro-Atlantic leadership positions.
As a member of both the European Union and NATO, Romania has significantly increased its defense spending to 2.5% of its gross domestic product in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In 2017, Romania signed a $4 billion deal for the acquisition of Patriot systems, its largest procurement contract to date, with the first shipment arriving in 2020.
