BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO’s new chief Mark Rutte voiced strong support for Ukraine on Tuesday and said he was not worried about the upcoming U.S. election as he could work with former president Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.
Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, took over from Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary general just weeks before the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential vote that pits Democrat Harris against Republican Trump, who has been highly critical of NATO.
But Rutte played down concerns within the transatlantic alliance about the vote in NATO’s predominant power, telling reporters at NATO headquarters: “I’m not worried.”
“I worked for four years with Donald Trump. He was the one pushing us to spend more (on defense), and he achieved - because ... we are now at a much higher spending level than we were when he took office,” Rutte said.
NATO estimates that 23 of its 32 members will meet its target of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense this year, compared to just three countries a decade ago.
On the war in Ukraine, he avoided a direct answer when asked whether Kyiv was winning. NATO members provide the vast majority of weapons and ammunition supplied to Ukraine.
Rutte said the situation on the battlefield was “difficult” and Russia had made “limited” gains this year but at a high cost. 
Signalling continuity with Stoltenberg, Rutte said he had three main priorities - making sure NATO had the capabilities to protect against any threat, supporting Ukraine and addressing global challenges by working with partners “near and far”.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday it did not expect any improvement in relations with NATO under Rutte.
One of Rutte’s key tasks will be to persuade NATO members to come up with the extra troops, weapons and spending to fully realize the new defense plans, diplomats and analysts say.
“We have to invest more and close the capability gaps and try to achieve all the targets NATO has set here,” Rutte said.