NATO faces leadership dilemma ahead of crucial Washington summit
8:51 AM EDT, May 31, 2024
In the Alliance, there is still no agreement on who should succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO's Secretary General. "Not every Ally is ready to sign off on Mark Rutte’s candidacy, and so more discussions await us on that front," says Julianne Smith, U.S. Ambassador to NATO.
At the NATO summit in Washington, scheduled for July 9-11, a decision will be made regarding Jens Stoltenberg's successor as Secretary General of the Alliance. Two candidates are available: the current Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, and the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis.
"Our goal is to conclude these discussions before the summit in Washington. It would be the perfect moment to celebrate the remarkable leadership of Jens Stoltenberg, who has been at the helm for 10 years," said Julianne Smith, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, in a conversation with journalists.
However, the American diplomat admitted that an agreement is still lacking. "I think, as is already known, the advantage lies with Mark Rutte, but not every ally is ready to endorse his candidacy, so more discussions on this topic await us," she admitted.
Alliance members are focusing on selecting the next NATO Secretary General. "I believe that we have made significant progress in this regard. I am convinced it will conclude before the July summit," she added.
"Putin's threats to NATO are nothing new"
On Thursday in Prague, Czech Republic, a two-day informal meeting of foreign ministers of NATO member countries began. The foreign ministers participated in a formal dinner without media presence, hosted by the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, a former high-ranking NATO military commander.
Stoltenberg also participated in the meeting in the Czech capital, where he addressed Russia's threats to the Alliance.
When asked whether the use of NATO weapons against targets in Russia could lead to an escalation of the conflict, Stoltenberg said that Putin's threats are nothing new. "Every time NATO allies provide support to Ukraine, President Putin tries to intimidate us into not doing it," he said.
