US President Joe Biden is pushing for Ursula von der Leyen to be installed as the next Nato secretary general after Ben Wallace’s candidacy was blocked,
The Telegraph can disclose.
The president of the European Commission was said to be the United States’ preferred candidate after the White House rejected the Defence Secretary for the role.
On Tuesday, Nato allies agreed a one-year extension for Jens Stoltenberg, who has been secretary general since October 2014, to lead the alliance until autumn 2024.
Nato leaders had hoped to reach a deal on a successor to Mr Stoltenberg at their annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week, but have failed to agree on a candidate.
A Nato source said that the US president was attempting to convince Mrs von der Leyen, a former German defence minister, to succeed Mr Stoltenberg amid fears a suitable candidate will not emerge in the next 12 months.
“We’re going to have a problem next year when it becomes clear that the field is no stronger than this year,” a second source said.
Mr Biden and Mrs von der Leyen have built “a strong bond” in recent years, fostering close transatlantic ties over China, Ukraine and the climate, another source said.
She was said to now “rely on Washington for intelligence” in a shift away from information relayed to her by European agencies, which misjudged Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Fluent in French, she would likely secure the support of Emmanuel Macron, who was opposed to Mr Wallace’s candidacy.
