Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, expressed cautious optimism on Tuesday about the prospect of Hungary withdrawing its objection to his proposed appointment as the head of NATO.
Rutte is considered the strong favourite to succeed Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg as NATO’s Secretary General by the end of 2024, with the backing of most members of the Atlantic Alliance, including the United States.
However, to date, he has faced opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, and competition from Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis.
"I’m cautiously optimistic about Hungary," Rutte told reporters following a side meeting with Orbán at an unofficial summit of the 27 in Brussels on Monday evening.
Orbán had previously stated he would consider withdrawing his objection to Rutte if the latter apologised for comments about Hungary which were deemed insulting by the nationalist leader; Budapest also called for exemption from increasing military aid to Ukraine.
Rutte assured that Orbán "did not ask for an apology," and he underlined that he "noted" the response from Hungarian society "after what I said two years ago."
"We left it at that, noting it and looking forward. He did not ask for an apology," Rutte stressed.
NATO member nations seek an agreement on Stoltenberg’s successor ahead of their leaders’ summit in Washington in July.
