A US decision to block British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace’s nomination for the post of NATO secretary-general could damage the two countries’ “special relationship”, the Telegraph newspaper reported, citing sources in the British government.
Earlier, Wallace said he would not become the next NATO secretary-general, citing the US position, which wants the current head of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, to remain in office.
According to the paper’s sources, Wallace’s candidacy was rejected personally by US President Joe Biden, sparking “fury” in London.
“It is believed that we are their closest allies. And this is what we get… It’s bad for UK-US relations. They’ve done us a big ‘favor’ by favoring this Danish lady,” the source said.
According to the publication, Biden was initially sympathetic to the candidacy of Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, who was also backed by France and Germany. According to one source, the US president changed his mind after Frederiksen’s visit to Washington in early June.
The US is now trying to persuade Stoltenberg, who has held his post for almost nine years and was planning to leave it this summer, to stay for another 12 months, the publication said.
Stoltenberg was due to step down on 1 October last year, but in March 2022 alliance leaders at a summit decided to extend his mandate until 30 September 2023.
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