One defense analyst previously told Breaking Defense that Rutte is often referred to in Dutch circles as the "little oil man" who "greases all the wheels in the machinery so they can run smoothly."
The summit's formal declaration falls short of offering a membership invitation but cites Ukraine's "progress" on reforms.
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During a Tuesday event, several chief executives from US and European weapons companies pointed to interoperability as a key consideration as defense firms ramp up munitions production and nail down new coproduction agreements.
“The fact that we are very keen to keep our unity in Washington … [means] we would not like to see divisional points [made] among allied countries and we know as well that it's not an easy discussion point for many allied countries,” said Tuuli Duneton, Estonia’s Undersecretary for Defense Policy.
NATO announced today its members had agreed Mark Rutte, the outgoing Dutch prime minister, will lead the alliance come October.
Rutte is "perfectly aligned for the job," said Dutch analyst Patrick Bolder. "He is respected as an honest person, especially in his expressions and his dealings with all the heads of states and heads of government."
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With the support of Hungary's Victor Orban, few issues appear to stand in the way of Mark Rutte taking the post over from longtime NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.
“It makes sense to adapt any restrictions that would make it impossible for Ukrainians to hit back against artillery positions, missile positions in Russia, directly attacking Ukrainian forces or Ukrainian cities," said the NATO Secretary General.
Under the new plan, London wants to spend a cumulative extra of £75 billion ($93 billion) over the next six years, culminating in a 2030 annual defense budget of £87 billion ($108 billion), which would make it second in NATO only to the US in defense expenditure.
Media reports also said this week NATO would discuss taking over a leadership role in providing weapons to Ukraine from the current US-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
Breaking Defense Europe will launch May 4 with Tim Martin and Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo as co-editors.
Poland, in particular, led the way in defense expenditure in 2023, using nearly 4 percent of its GDP on an arms spending spree, according to the alliance's annual report.
With the Hungarian vote, all NATO members have supported Sweden's bid, clearing the way for Stockholm to join the alliance.
As Sweden moves ever closer to joining NATO, both it and the alliance are reserving judgment on who or what caused damage to a telecommunications cable that runs between Sweden and Estonia, until an investigation concludes.
In a social media post today, Shapps said he was “looking forward to working with the brave men and women of our Armed Forces” and “continuing the UK’s support for Ukraine in their fight against Putin’s barbaric invasion.”