Rutte replaced long-time Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who headed the alliance for a decade.

Rutte set three goals for his tenure: strengthening NATO; closer cooperation with the European Union and Asian partners, and supporting Ukraine. He will also push for defense spending to rise.

"The cost of supporting Ukraine is far lower than the cost we would face if we allow Putin to get his way. I will work with the allies to ensure that we fully implement our decisions and that we continue to bring Ukraine ever closer to NATO," Rutte said on Tuesday.

Above all, Rutte's ability to find a consensus is praised by others. He is expected to make compromises that would satisfy both European allies and the United States, regardless of who sits in the White House.

"He has been in office as prime minister for 14 years and he had to build four different coalitions with four different party constellations. That really makes him an outstanding guy to bring people together," said Michel Kerres, a journalist at Dutch newspaper NRC.

Rutte is also known as a "frugal" politician.

"Of course, he slashed the defense budget. It was only last year that The Netherlands spent 2 percent on defense. He's been very frugal that's part of his political DNA. Now, of course, this morning already he has started to lobby already for more defense spending," Kerres said.

Estonia's ambassador to NATO Jüri Luik said Rutte's long experience as prime minister makes him a good choice.

"For example, his policy in Ukraine has been very strong. The Netherlands has given enormous help to Ukraine financially and militarily. So he is a good option for Estonia," said Luik.

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