President Biden is hoping to cajole Ursula von der Leyen into her succeeding Jens Stoltenberg as the next Nato Secretary General in the wake of Ben Wallace’s candidacy being occluded from participating. This is according to reporting from the Daily Mail. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, was said to be the United States’ choice contender following the White House’s rejection of Ben Wallace, the UK Defence Secretary, for the role.
A one-year extension for Jens Stoltenberg was agreed on Tuesday. He has been Secretary General since October 2014, to front the collective defence alliance until autumn 2024. Nato leaders had looked to reach an agreement on a next-in-line to Mr Stoltenberg at their annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week, but this remains up in the air. In the midst of concerns that a suitable candidate might not emerge in the next 12 months, what is there to do?
President Biden and Mrs von der Leyen have forged “a strong bond” of late, promoting transatlantic ties with China, Ukraine and over climate change, it seems, Reuters/Anna Gordon said. She was now to “rely on Washington for intelligence” in a move away from intelligence relayed to her by European agencies, which it seems miscalculated Russia’s incursions into Ukraine’s territory. Mrs von der Leyen would be likely to secure the support of Emmanuel Macron, who was opposed to Mr Wallace’s candidacy.
There’s much to play for given the stakes are so high.