And then there was one: Mark Rutte. Romania’s president withdraws from the race for NATO chief

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Romania’s president has withdrawn from the race to become NATO’s next secretary general. It leaves outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte all but certain to head the world’s biggest military organization from October. President Klaus Iohannis’s office said in a statement Thursday that Romania’s security council has backed Rutte’s bid. It also said that Iohannis had informed NATO late last week that he intended to pull out. His withdrawal removes the last real hurdle Rutte might face. It should allow NATO to put on a show of unity and demonstrate solidarity with war-ravaged Ukraine when U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts meet in Washington on July 9-11 to mark NATO’s 75th birthday.