JC: Trump’s Friends in Europe

Donald Trump has very few friends in leadership positions in Europe but he does have Secretary-General of NATO Mark Rutte, who leads an organisation not a country (although he was the prime minister of the Netherlands from 2014–2024). He is one of the few who understand where Trump is coming from. He quickly realised Trump’s criticisms of NATO were legitimate and needed to be addressed if the organisation was to be fit for purpose.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: New Nato leader arrives at a crunch time

There are easier jobs than NATO Secretary-General. And if you have just finished almost 14 years as Dutch PM, it is hardly a downscaling option.

Yet that is what Mark Rutte has chosen to do. He formally started his new job on 1 October – and he has inherited a military alliance facing its most significant challenges since the Cold War.

Russia wages its war in Ukraine. China expands its global influence. Within NATO itself, political tensions threaten its future. Yet Rutte, in his first statements, appears undaunted by the task ahead.

Oliver Hartwich: After Rutte, uncertainty reigns in the Netherlands

With his surprising decision not just to resign but to step away from politics altogether, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has created a phase of uncertainty.

Rutte’s tenure, one of the longest among European heads of government, was previously characterised by adroit navigation of a political environment that can be as challenging as it is diverse.

For the past 13 years, it was Rutte who defined the political landscape of the Netherlands. And he had considerable standing within the EU.