“We certainly can’t support the election of a person to the position of NATO’s secretary general, who previously wanted to force Hungary on its knees,” Szijjártó said. In 2021, Rutte denounced new anti-LGBT legislation introduced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, saying the country “has no business being in the European Union anymore.”

“The long-term aim is to bring Hungary to its knees on this issue,”  he said at the time.

Szijjártó’s remarks come days before Orbán is due to meet with Donald Trump in the U.S.

London, Paris and Berlin have also vowed to support Rutte’s NATO bid. With a reputation as a “Trump whisperer”, Rutte would be seen as an ideal counterpart in some circles in case the NATO-skeptic former president wins the U.S. election in November.

A group of eastern flank countries close to the Russian border also remain unconvinced about Rutte’s bid — but for different reasons.

The Baltic countries are unhappy about Rutte’s lack of commitment on Dutch defense spending, while Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is displeased with the Netherlands’ long-standing resistance to his country’s joining the Schengen zone. Last month, Iohannis told allies he had decided to challenge Rutte.