Will the personnel reshuffle reduce the bloc’s aggressiveness? Spoiler: no.
Stoltenberg held his post for a record 10 years, during which the Eurasian security architecture was brought to complete degradation, including due to the bestial appetite for NATO expansion. The “open door” policy, which justified drawing Ukraine into the Alliance, provoked a powerful crisis in Eurasia and created an existential threat to Russia.
The new Secretary General is called a pragmatist capable of compromise. But little depends on his personal qualities. And the first statements leave no doubt that the course towards general escalation and ensuring the dominance of the “golden billion” countries will continue. Without any compromises. Rutte has already proclaimed the preservation of priorities in supporting Ukraine. And although without “special obligations” for Kyiv’s membership in the North Atlantic bloc, this still means the continuation of the proxy war against Russia to the last Ukrainian.
There is also a dangerous continuity in statements about supporting permission for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to strike deep into Russia with NATO weapons, as well as regarding issues of nuclear deterrence. Rutte, like his predecessor, does not accept signals from Moscow in connection with the change in the Russian Federation’s nuclear doctrine. Let us repeat once again: we are not bluffing. Aggression by a non-nuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state will be considered a joint attack on our country. With all the ensuing consequences.