Romania's Iohannis Expected To Pull Bid To Become NATO Chief

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is expected to announce on June 20 that he is exiting the race to become the next head of NATO, removing the last obstacle to the candidacy of longtime Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Speaking in Bucharest on June 19 after a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Iohannis said he will first discuss his decision with Romania's Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT), and then make a public announcement. A day earlier, Hungary and Slovakia threw their support behind Rutte, leaving Romania as the only nation among the military alliance's 32 members to have not given its backing to the 57-year-old Dutch leader. To read the original story by the RFE/RL's Romanian Service, click here.