The new Nato chief Mark Rutte has vowed to strengthen Western support for war-ravaged Ukraine as he takes charge of the alliance. The former Dutch prime minister officially replaced Jens Stoltenberg yesterday as Nato secretary general after his predecessor spent a decade in the job.
Mr Rutte's appointment comes at an important time for Nato, with the US election just weeks away, he will soon be working with a new president. The secretary general said during a press conference yesterday that he could work with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris and appreciates that Ukraine will be his top priority.
Mr Rutte, 57, was prime minister of the Netherlands until he stepped down earlier this year following the collapse of his coalition government in 2023. In June he was appointed to the Nato role. "We have to make sure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation," Mr Rutte said at Nato's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
Esta historia es de la edición October 02, 2024 de The Independent.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 02, 2024 de The Independent.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Slot demands greater focus.for 'special' Anfield night
As Arne Slot looked forward to his first European night at Anfield, Alexis Mac Allister harked back to his Champions League bow. Which was all of two weeks ago. As the Liverpool midfielder noted, it is remarkable he had won the World Cup before even playing in the premier club competition. \"For some people it was a surprise I won a World Cup but I made my debut against [AC] Milan in the Champions League so it is quite crazy,\" the Argentina international said.
Easy night for Gunners in match that lacked jeopardy
A \"big Champions League night\" that ended up being quite a nice run-out for Arsenal. Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain looked less a sportswashing project and more a youth project. The level of superiority in this 2-0 win is again to Arsenal's credit, but should also be a worry for Uefa.
Enshrining tips in law for servers misses the point
Time to pay our waiting staff properly, argues James Moore
Dobbies to shut 17 stores with nearly 500 jobs at risk
Garden centre group Dobbies has revealed plans to shut 17 stores putting nearly 500 jobs at risk. Dobbies said the proposed closures are part of a restructuring plan to help return the business to profit and reduce its rent bill.
Flying is the easy bit but the transfers are something else
Dublin, Bristol, Athens and many more... readers share their bemusement at busy airports with terrible transport links
Assange says he 'pled guilty to journalism' to win release
Julian Assange has said that he is free after years of incarceration because he \"pled guilty to journalism\".
Children among at least 23 dead after school bus fire
At least 23 children and teachers are feared dead after a bus carrying students caught fire in suburban Bangkok yesterday.
New Nato chief says top priority remains Ukraine
Mark Rutte, the former Dutch premier, plays down fears of Donald Trump as he promises to strengthen the organisation
Girl suffers serious injury in acid attack outside a school
Teacher also hurt trying to help as suspect fled on e-scooter
Universities urge return to UK-EU student exchanges
British universities have urged the government to reintroduce EU student exchanges which were halted after Brexit, such as the Erasmus programme. A new report from Universities UK, an organisation that advocates for 141 universities across the country, said Sir Keir Starmer's government should \"strongly consider the case\" to rejoin the scheme, cancelled under Boris Johnson.