German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday threw his weight behind Mark Rutte's bid to lead NATO.
The outgoing Dutch prime minister is an "outstanding candidate," according to Scholz's spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit.
"Chancellor Scholz supports the nomination of Mark Rutte as the new Secretary General of NATO," Hebestreit posted on X, referring to Rutte's "immense experience, his great security policy expertise and his strong diplomatic skills."
Berlin's endorsement follows an intense 24-hour diplomatic campaign to shore up support for the Dutchman, amid ongoing hesitation from a group of around 10 countries including in Eastern Europe as well as Hungary and Turkey.
POLITICO first reported on Wednesday that two-thirds of NATO's allies now support Rutte.
The U.S. declared its backing for the Dutch leader, with an official saying President Joe Biden backed Rutte, as POLITICO reported. This was followed by the U.K., as well as France where a senior official said President Emmanuel Macron had been an early supporter of putting the Dutchman in the role, having sounded him out about the post last year.
Rutte would need all 31 NATO allies' endorsement before he could be nominated to succeed Jens Stoltenberg, who's expected to step down in October.