It became known who Biden sees as NATO Secretary General after Stoltenberg: a close connection has already been established

Joe Biden favors the appointment of Ursula von der Leyen as the next secretary general of NATO. Before that, the White House blocked the candidacy of British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace for the post.

This is reported by The Telegraph. Thus, after the cancellation of Wallace's candidacy, the president of the European Commission was chosen as the nominee of the United States.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Jens Stoltenberg continues his term as NATO secretary general for another year until the fall of 2024. NATO leaders had hoped to reach an agreement on his successor during next week's annual summit in Vilnius but were unable to reach a consensus on a candidate.

According to the publication that cites NATO sources, the U.S. president had expressed hope that Ursula von der Leyen, the former German defense minister, could succeed Stoltenberg, as there are now concerns that an appropriate candidate will not be found within the next 12 months.

"We will have problems next year when it becomes clear that the field is no stronger than it is this year," said a NATO source.

According to another source, Biden and Ursula von der Leyen have developed a "strong bond" in recent years and have fostered close transatlantic ties on issues related to China, Ukraine and the climate.

It is also noted that von der Leyen "relies on Washington for intelligence," refusing to consider incoming information from European agencies that have misjudged the situation regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier it was reported that Stoltenberg had been persuaded to stay on as NATO secretary general for another year. Stoltenberg's tenure is due to end in late September 2023.

As a reminder, the head of the NATO Military Committee Rob Baver said that a terrorist attack that could be carried out by Russian occupants at the Zaporizhzhia NPP would affect the entire world. Such an attack would have a "huge impact" on Europe.

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