Mark Rutte
Secretary General of NATO since 2024 and former Prime Minister of the Netherlands
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| March 2025 | Following the new Trump administration's stance, Rutte stated that Ukraine had never been promised NATO membership and suggested Europe and the US should eventually normalize relations with Russia after a peace agreement. |
| November 30 2024 | Became Honorary member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| October 2024 | Rutte stated that more than 600,000 Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded during the war with Ukraine. |
| October 1 2024 | Rutte succeeded Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General during a ceremonial handover at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. |
| July 2 2024 | Received Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion |
| June 2024 | Attended Ukraine peace summit, interpreting Putin's peace talk proposal as a sign of panic. |
| June 26 2024 | Rutte was officially appointed as NATO Secretary General after overcoming opposition from Turkey, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania. |
| June 7 2024 | Awarded Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg |
| May 2024 | Authorized Ukraine to use Dutch-supplied F-16 fighters to strike targets inside Russia. |
| April 14 2024 | Condemned Iranian strikes against Israel and called for adding Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to the EU's terrorism blacklist. |
| March 1 2024 | Increased commitment to €250 million for Ukraine ammunition and signed Netherlands-Ukraine bilateral security agreement with Zelensky in Kharkiv. |
| February 2024 | Governments of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and France publicly supported Rutte's candidacy for NATO Secretary General. |
| February 26 2024 | Attended emergency summit in Paris concerning Ukraine's situation, proposing €100 million for artillery ammunition. |
| November 22 2023 | Early general elections were held following cabinet resignation, with VVD now led by Dilan Yeşilgöz. |
| October 2023 | Mark Rutte announced his candidacy for NATO Secretary General position, despite previously stating he wanted to focus on high school teaching after his prime ministership. |
| October 7 2023 | Became the first foreign leader to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the Hamas attack on Israel. |
| July 7 2023 | Rutte announced his government's resignation after the cabinet failed to agree on migration handling, continuing as an outgoing cabinet. |
| April 11 2023 | Received Grand Officer of the Order of Legion of Honour from France |
| March 2023 | Placed restrictions on chip exports to protect national security, affecting Dutch multinational ASML. |
| January 2023 | Reached an agreement with the U.S. and Japan to limit advanced chip exports to China. |
| January 27 2023 | Awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st degree from Ukraine |
| 2022 | Rutte began his fourth term as prime minister after another record-length formation period. |
| December 20 2022 | Received Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic |
| October 2022 | Called for investigation of alleged war crimes and human rights violations in the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. |
| 2021 | Rutte and his cabinet resigned in response to the Dutch childcare benefits scandal, but the VVD won the general election. |
| December 15 2021 | Presented a coalition government agreement with D66, CDA, and CU following the longest government formation process in Dutch history. |
| January 15 2021 | The third Rutte cabinet collectively resigned following the publication of research about the childcare subsidies scandal. Rutte offered his resignation to King Willem-Alexander, accepting responsibility for the scandal. |
| 2020 | During EU COVID-19 recovery fund negotiations, Rutte was considered the unofficial leader of the Frugal Four, advocating for loans with strict conditions instead of grants. |
| September 2020 | Rutte suggested the potential dissolution and reformation of the EU without Poland and Hungary, citing concerns about their governments' approach to the rule of law. |
| 2019 | Rutte's VVD party suffered a setback in the provincial elections, with the right-wing populist Forum for Democracy (FvD) achieving victory. |
| October 9 2019 | Awarded Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia |
| July 2018 | Rutte gained international attention by interrupting and contradicting US President Donald Trump during a press meeting at the White House, demonstrating what was described as 'typical Dutch bluntness'. |
| March 21 2018 | The Dutch Intelligence and Security Services Act referendum was held, resulting in a rejection. |
| 2017 | Despite losing seats, Rutte's VVD remained the largest party, leading to his third cabinet formation after a record-length negotiation period. |
| October 26 2017 | Mark Rutte was sworn in as prime minister for his third term, forming a coalition with CDA, D66, and CU after a record 225-day negotiation period following the general election. |
| April 2012 | Rutte's first government collapsed due to an impasse in budget negotiations. |
| 2010 | Rutte led the VVD to victory in the general election and became the first self-described liberal prime minister in 92 years after coalition negotiations. |
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