Hungary has dropped its opposition to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's candidacy for NATO secretary-general, Dutch outlets NOS and RTL reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The development occurs after a meeting between Rutte and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban on the sidelines of the EU leaders' summit in Brussels.
Previously, Hungary demanded an apology from Rutte for his critical comments about Hungary and assurances that Hungary would not be required to fund or send personnel to Ukraine. The latter condition was addressed last week by current NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
The United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany have all supported Rutte’s candidacy, and Turkey has also endorsed it. Now, only Romania and Slovakia have yet to approve Rutte's nomination.