According to the Central News Agency, NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg, who was originally scheduled to step down in September this year, became NATO Secretary-General in October 2014. His term of office has been extended three times. A NATO source and a U.S. NATO may extend his term for another year, officials said.
Calls for a fourth extension of Stoltenberg’s term are growing as NATO’s upcoming summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius in mid-July continues to grapple with Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine , and the member states still have not reached a consensus on the candidate for the next NATO Secretary-General.
“The Biden administration is slowly embracing the idea of Stoltenberg staying on for another year because there still appears to be no consensus within NATO on his successor,” said the U.S. official who broke the news.
The source said that Norwegian NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg has the broad support of NATO members and therefore remains an influential NATO leader.
According to reports, Stoltenberg said in February this year that he would not seek an extension of his term. On Friday (June 16), he reiterated this position again at a NATO news conference.
“I’ve said repeatedly that I’m not seeking an extension. My term ends this fall,” he said.
He also said that he currently has no plans for the future.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Saturday (June 17) that there is no shortcut for Ukraine to join NATO.
In Washington on Saturday, Biden expressed his views on Ukraine’s NATO membership, according to the Central News Agency.
“They (Ukraine) have to meet the same standards and we will not make it easier for them to join NATO,” he said.
NATO plans to hold its first NATO-Ukraine Council meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the NATO summit in July, the report said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday (June 16) that NATO will strengthen political relations with Ukraine at the summit, conduct consultations on Ukraine’s security issues, and make relevant decisions at the same time, so that Ukraine Russia and Ukraine will get more equal status at the negotiating table, but Ukraine’s NATO membership will not be discussed.
He emphasized: “We will not discuss Ukraine’s membership at the Vilnius summit, but we will discuss how to bring Ukraine closer to NATO.”
NATO’s eastern European members have been pressing for a better accession roadmap for Ukraine, but key NATO allies such as the United States and Germany have been reluctant to break through their vague 2014 pledge that Ukraine would one day be able to join NATO, the report said. .
However, when German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on the 16th that NATO is ready to accept Ukraine, NATO may relax some membership requirements for Ukraine.