Stoltenberg's NATO tenure likely to be extended
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Media reports reveal that NATO will extend again the term of Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
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NATO's Stoltenberg tenure likely to be extended: Reports
Given that the important members of the alliance are pleased with how NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has handled the Ukrainian situation, his term in office is likely to be renewed, a source close to the negotiations said as quoted by Sputnik.
Due to the war in Ukraine, Stoltenberg's term as secretary-general, which was set to conclude in October 2022, was extended for an additional year, ending on September 30, 2023.
Among the potential contenders to follow Stoltenberg as leader of the bloc are Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
"I can't say as there is no final decision yet, all I am saying is that there is this idea among decision-makers within the Alliance, the point is that a lot of key members of the Alliance have a positive view on how effective and with determination the current Secretary General is handling Russia’s invasion in Ukraine from the NATO side," the source said.
A change in leadership during the situation in Ukraine, according to the source, would not be supported by major NATO powers, and Stoltenberg still has unfinished business about concluding Sweden's accession process.
"For all those reasons, key members of the Alliance see an extension of the duties of Jens Stoltenberg as a good solution at this stage. Although I want to point out that nothing is finalized or agreed yet, so the situation can change," the source added.
The source further noted that the announcement could probably be made at the Vilnius Summit in July.
Commenting on Stoltenberg's potential replacements, the source referred to Draghi as a "strong" candidate while being less confident about Kallas's chances as "this scenario is losing ground at this stage for several different reasons."
In a similar context, media reports also said that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is in the running to be the new head of NATO.
However, UK officials affirmed that the UK will probably veto Ursula von der Leyen's selection due to her poor performance as the German Defense Minister.
