Biden and von der Leyen have built a “strong bond” in recent years, promoting close transatlantic relations on China, Ukraine and the climate.
The United States wants to see the current President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as the next Secretary General of NATO. On Tuesday, July 4, The Telegraph reported.
It was noted that after the White House rejected British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, von der Leyen was elected as the US candidate for the post of Secretary General of NATO.
As reported, on July 4, NATO allies agreed to extend for one year – until the fall of 2024 – the power of Jens Stoltenberg, who has been the Alliance Secretary General since October 2014.
It was noted that NATO leaders hope to reach an agreement on Stoltenberg’s successor next week at the annual summit in Vilnius, but have not agreed on a candidate.
A NATO source told The Telegraph that the US president is trying to convince von der Leyen, who previously headed the German Defense Ministry, to succeed Stoltenberg amid fears that a suitable candidate will not emerge within the next 12 months.
According to the publication, Biden and von der Leyen have developed a “strong bond” in recent years, fostering close transatlantic relations with China, Ukraine and the climate.
“They say he’s now relying on Washington for intelligence, rejecting the information he’s getting from European agencies that misled Russia’s attack on Ukraine,” the second source said.
In private conversations, von der Leyen told Biden that he would not get any NATO position, at least until next year.
At the same time, the newspaper notes, White House strategists see an opportunity to “block it” after next year’s elections to the European Parliament.
As you know, Jens Stoltenberg has been the head of NATO since October 1, 2014. He was supposed to resign last year and planned to head the central bank in his native Norway, but in March 2022, the heads of the Alliance countries agreed to extend his mandate due to the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.