British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace Candidacy Blocked for NATO Secretary General Role Over Support for Ukraine

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace's Candidacy Blocked for NATO Secretary General Role Over Support for Ukraine

Report: Wallace Removed from Candidates for NATO Secretary General Due to Support for Ukraine

The Washington administration has rejected the candidacy of British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace for the position of NATO Secretary General due to excessive support for Ukraine from the British Ministry of Defense, according to the Telegraph newspaper, citing sources.

"Ben Wallace's candidacy has been blocked... The Defense Secretary was a favorite among several NATO member states, but there was significant tension with Washington, the de facto leader of the alliance, due to his unprecedented support for Ukraine. In his military support for Kyiv, including in terms of tanks and long-range missiles, he often went further than the United States," the publication stated.

According to the newspaper, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden insists that the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, be appointed as the next NATO Secretary General after Stoltenberg's departure.

On Thursday, the NATO press service announced that Jens Stoltenberg, a 64-year-old Norwegian who has held the position of NATO Secretary General since 2014 and has repeatedly stated his desire to leave his post after the fall of 2023, will remain the head of the North Atlantic Alliance for another year.

"It is reported that in private conversations, Mrs. von der Leyen told Mr. Biden that she would not be able to assume any position in NATO at least until next year," the Telegraph reports.

Discussions on the search for Stoltenberg's successor, which the 31 alliance countries have been engaged in over the past year, have not resulted in the emergence of a compromise candidate. "It is unwise to change captains in the middle of a storm," a high-ranking NATO representative summarized the results of the long and fruitless debates in a conversation with the media. Furthermore, as some Western diplomats have stated, replacing the head of the alliance in the midst of the conflict in Ukraine "could reduce the level of support" for Kyiv.

Various politicians have been mentioned as possible successors to Stoltenberg over the past year, ranging from the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, to the prime ministers of Estonia and Lithuania, Kaja Kallas and Ingrida Šimonytė. The new Secretary General was planned to be introduced at the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 11-12. However, since the candidacy must first receive unanimous approval from countries in the bloc with diverse interests and priorities, reaching an agreement always takes a long time, but this time it ended without a result.