Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte immediately pledged his strong support for Ukraine as he took over as the head of NATO on October 1 at a pivotal time in the military alliance's history as Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor approaches the 1,000-day mark.
Rutte, the longest-serving prime minister in the history of the Netherlands, met with outgoing Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where they laid a wreath to fallen personnel from the alliance as they were surrounded by the flags of its 32 member countries.
They then proceeded into the great hall where top-level North Atlantic Council meetings are held, with Stoltenberg, who leaves after a decade at NATO's helm, presented him with a Viking gavel to use when chairing meetings.
"There can be no lasting security in Europe without a strong, independent Ukraine," Rutte told the hall in his first speech in office, giving an affirmation of the commitment made by the organization's leaders in 2008 that "Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO."
SEE ALSO: Wider Europe Briefing: What To Expect From NATO's New Boss, Mark Rutte"We have to make sure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation," Rutte told reporters afterward.
NATO, founded in 1949 to deter and defend against any attack on its members in Western Europe by the Soviet Union, has found itself back in the diplomatic spotlight due to the war in Ukraine and a Russia, led by its autocratic president, Vladimir Putin.
Rutte appears to enjoy close relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
As Dutch prime minister, he helped get F-16 fighter aircraft sent to Ukraine, secured stronger EU economic sanctions on Moscow despite Dutch dependency on trade, and helped move Ukraine along the path toward EU membership.
The Ukrainian leader applauded Rutte's taking the helm of the alliance, saying he "looks forward to working" together to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security as Ukraine continues on its path towards full-fledged NATO membership.
"Only together, Ukraine and its allies, can we truly guarantee a peaceful, stable, and secure Europe," he said in a post on X.
But Rutte, the 57-year-old Hague-born politician known for his affable manner, faces the tricky question of whether Ukraine will get an invitation to join NATO.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that Putin knew Rutte well from previous meetings and that no change in policy is expected.
"Our expectations are that the North Atlantic alliance will continue to work in the same direction in which it has been working," he said.
"At one time, there were hopes for the possibility of building good pragmatic relations -- at least, such a dialogue was conducted -- but subsequently we know that the Netherlands took a rather irreconcilable position, a position on the complete exclusion of any contacts with our country," he added.
Adding to the balancing act, Rutte takes over NATO just over a month before the United States, the alliance’s biggest funding source, holds a presidential election between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
The former president has been critical of NATO and has not said whether he wants Kyiv to come out victorious in repelling the Kremlin's invasion. Harris has supported continuing to send arms to help Ukraine fight back.
"I know both candidates very well.... I will be able to work with both. Whatever is the outcome of the election," he said.
"I worked for four years with Donald Trump. He was the one pushing us to spend more (on defense), and he achieved because indeed, at the moment, we are now at a much higher spending level than we were when he took office," Rutte added, noting Harris had a "fantastic record" as vice president and is "a highly respected leader."