BRUSSELS: NATO’s members on Tuesday extended the tenure of alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg for one year, after struggling to find a replacement in the shadow of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The announcement comes one week ahead of a summit of NATO leaders in Lithuania that will be dominated by the Western military alliance’s response to the war and Ukraine’s push for membership.
“Honoured by NATO allies’ decision to extend my term as secretary general until 1 October 2024,” Stoltenberg, 64, tweeted. “In a more dangerous world, our alliance is more important than ever.”
NATO countries made the call to extend the tenure of the former Norwegian prime minister – at the helm of the alliance since 2014 – after failing to agree an obvious replacement.
Others seen as potential candidates, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and British Defence Minister Ben Wallace, had recently dropped out of contention.
Frederiksen appeared to tick the requirements of some European allies as a possible first female leader and by being from the EU.
But NATO nations on the alliance’s eastern flank were pushing for someone from their region to take the reins to underscore a tougher stance on Russia.
Britain’s Wallace put himself forward, but numerous NATO allies wanted a former head of state or government in charge, and France insisted on someone from an EU country.
Stoltenberg – who already had his tenure extended for a year shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – has the strong backing of the United States and other key allies.
