**From The Telegraph’s Brussels Correspondent, Joe Barnes:**
Joe Biden is pushing for Ursula von der Leyen to be installed as the next Nato secretary-general after Ben Wallace’s candidacy was blocked, The Telegraph can disclose.
The European Commission president is said to be the United States’ preferred candidate after the White House rejected Mr Wallace, the British Defence Secretary, for the role.
On Tuesday, Nato allies agreed a one-year extension for Jens Stoltenberg, 64, who was appointed secretary-general in October 2014, to lead the alliance until autumn next year.
Nato leaders had hoped to reach a deal on a successor to Mr Stoltenberg at their annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week, but have failed to agree on a candidate.
A Nato source said President Biden was attempting to convince Mrs von der Leyen, a former German defence minister, to succeed Mr Stoltenberg amid fears a suitable candidate will not emerge in the next 12 months.
“We’re going to have a problem next year when it becomes clear that the field is no stronger than this year,” a second source said.
Mr Biden and Mrs von der Lyen have built “a strong bond” in recent years, fostering close transatlantic ties over China, Ukraine and the climate, another source said.
Mrs von der Leyen is said to now “rely on Washington for intelligence” in a shift away from information relayed to her by European agencies, which misjudged Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Fluent in French, she would likely secure the support of Emmanuel Macron, who was opposed to Mr Wallace’s candidacy. Meanwhile, Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor and a political rival of Mrs von der Leyen, would like to see her out of the frame to keep a top EU job.
Bull shit, Biden thinks von der Leyden is a flavor of ice cream, while wondering WTF is NATO!
[deleted]
Anyone, literally anyone except an English conservative.
Is Putin secretly terrified of broomsticks or something?
What’s the problem?
Telegraph is not the most trustworthy source of information:
> In January 2017, the Telegraph Media Group had a higher number of upheld complaints than any other UK newspaper by its regulator IPSO.[97] Most of these findings pertained to inaccuracy, as with other UK newspapers.[98]
[…]
> The Telegraph has published multiple columns and news articles which promote pseudoscientific views on climate change, and misleadingly cast the subject of climate change as a subject of active scientific debate when there is a scientific consensus on climate change.[121] It has published columns about the “conspiracy behind the Anthropogenic Global Warming myth”,[118] described climate scientists as “white-coated prima donnas and narcissists,”[118][119] and claimed that “global warming causes about as much damage as benefits.”[120] In 2015, a Telegraph news article falsely claimed that scientists predicted a mini-ice age by 2030.[119]
I don’t know that much specific things about her deeds, but, in my impression, her understanding of things related to military is very bad. So, it’s a bad choice. On the other hand, that position, weirdly enough, not seem to have nessesity to need to know that much about military. So, who knows. Just another known politician possibly taking another political position.
i thought a german, a frenchman or a brit was out of the question? for obvious reasons..
We really live in the most absurd timeline.
Awful choice. Maybe this is some way to encourage the Germans to take their military more seriously?
She couldn’t even run the German Bundeswehr. She failed badly.
She was called “FlintenUschi” 😂😂😂
“The Bundeswehr’s condition is catastrophic” — Rupert Scholz, former German defense minister
“Von der Leyen is our weakest minister. “
Would be a better fit for her than commission president.
A right she stole AGAIN money and now she fall upward to be untouchable AGAIN.
Does Biden want to destroy nato? Or does biden just own a very lucrative consulting firm? Cause that women can’t do shit without her consultants.
Please don’t.
The way she lost the vaccine negotiations from Boris the Clown should disqualify her from anything.
Failed as family minister, failed as military minister, yet got promoted to European Parlament and now that? What’s next? President of the United States of America without having their citizenship?
Please don’t
rip nato
I’ll remind everyone here that her time as german defense minister was considered so bad, she gained the nickname ‘Flinten-Uschi’. :V One of her many nicknames she has in germany. She is a failed german politician that somehow got the gig of EU commission president because Macron liked her and Merkel probably needed to get her out of the german government and this seemed like a great opportunity to do so.
In fairness though, I think she is doing fine as EU commission president? But how is it that whenever a big position needs to be filled, somehow it’s her name that’s always coming up and I just don’t understand why.
She had a scandal regarding cronyism for consulting contracts as german defense minister and it’s pretty well-known tool. Threw out millions and millions to hear some mckinsey consultants’ opinions instead of acting. And now the US president thinks that’s a great basis for the head of NATO? Wth is going on. There has got to be somebody more qualified and more importantly, with less baggage than her, right?
I actually like Ursula vor der Leyen.
Always when I am depressed and suicidal, I remember her. She reminds me that while I am completely incompetent and useless human being, I still can become the leader of one of the largest and most powerful countries in the world.
She has great gift to inspire me and give me hope. A true leader.
She was the real boss of Jeffrey Epstein because there is no other explanation
This lady mastered the art of failing upwards.
Served as defence minister and was whisked away to Europe right before a brewing consultancy-scandal in her ministry came to roost.
Now she might just get rewarded for the rather stagnant response of the EU to issues like immigration by getting a nomination for NATO chief. At this rate I swear I would not be surprised if she went on to become new UN Chief – Will soon be Europe’s turn anyway won’t it? Not sure there has been a european UN chief since that ill-fated Waldheim tenure.
No…
Who’s a good puppy? Who’s a good doggy? Here’s a treat!
They rejected Ben Wallace… for this? Fuck that noise.
31 comments
I like her
**From The Telegraph’s Brussels Correspondent, Joe Barnes:**
Joe Biden is pushing for Ursula von der Leyen to be installed as the next Nato secretary-general after Ben Wallace’s candidacy was blocked, The Telegraph can disclose.
The European Commission president is said to be the United States’ preferred candidate after the White House rejected Mr Wallace, the British Defence Secretary, for the role.
On Tuesday, Nato allies agreed a one-year extension for Jens Stoltenberg, 64, who was appointed secretary-general in October 2014, to lead the alliance until autumn next year.
Nato leaders had hoped to reach a deal on a successor to Mr Stoltenberg at their annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week, but have failed to agree on a candidate.
A Nato source said President Biden was attempting to convince Mrs von der Leyen, a former German defence minister, to succeed Mr Stoltenberg amid fears a suitable candidate will not emerge in the next 12 months.
“We’re going to have a problem next year when it becomes clear that the field is no stronger than this year,” a second source said.
Mr Biden and Mrs von der Lyen have built “a strong bond” in recent years, fostering close transatlantic ties over China, Ukraine and the climate, another source said.
Mrs von der Leyen is said to now “rely on Washington for intelligence” in a shift away from information relayed to her by European agencies, which misjudged Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Fluent in French, she would likely secure the support of Emmanuel Macron, who was opposed to Mr Wallace’s candidacy. Meanwhile, Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor and a political rival of Mrs von der Leyen, would like to see her out of the frame to keep a top EU job.
**Continue reading the full story here ⤵️**
[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/07/04/biden-pushing-ursula-von-der-leyen-nato-head-ben-wallace/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/07/04/biden-pushing-ursula-von-der-leyen-nato-head-ben-wallace/)
What an awful choice.
she just keeps falling upwards somehow
Bull shit, Biden thinks von der Leyden is a flavor of ice cream, while wondering WTF is NATO!
[deleted]
Anyone, literally anyone except an English conservative.
Is Putin secretly terrified of broomsticks or something?
What’s the problem?
Telegraph is not the most trustworthy source of information:
> In January 2017, the Telegraph Media Group had a higher number of upheld complaints than any other UK newspaper by its regulator IPSO.[97] Most of these findings pertained to inaccuracy, as with other UK newspapers.[98]
[…]
> The Telegraph has published multiple columns and news articles which promote pseudoscientific views on climate change, and misleadingly cast the subject of climate change as a subject of active scientific debate when there is a scientific consensus on climate change.[121] It has published columns about the “conspiracy behind the Anthropogenic Global Warming myth”,[118] described climate scientists as “white-coated prima donnas and narcissists,”[118][119] and claimed that “global warming causes about as much damage as benefits.”[120] In 2015, a Telegraph news article falsely claimed that scientists predicted a mini-ice age by 2030.[119]
[(Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Telegraph)
Oh Gott.
I don’t know that much specific things about her deeds, but, in my impression, her understanding of things related to military is very bad. So, it’s a bad choice. On the other hand, that position, weirdly enough, not seem to have nessesity to need to know that much about military. So, who knows. Just another known politician possibly taking another political position.
i thought a german, a frenchman or a brit was out of the question? for obvious reasons..
We really live in the most absurd timeline.
Awful choice. Maybe this is some way to encourage the Germans to take their military more seriously?
She couldn’t even run the German Bundeswehr. She failed badly.
She was called “FlintenUschi” 😂😂😂
“The Bundeswehr’s condition is catastrophic” — Rupert Scholz, former German defense minister
“Von der Leyen is our weakest minister. “
Would be a better fit for her than commission president.
A right she stole AGAIN money and now she fall upward to be untouchable AGAIN.
Does Biden want to destroy nato? Or does biden just own a very lucrative consulting firm? Cause that women can’t do shit without her consultants.
Please don’t.
The way she lost the vaccine negotiations from Boris the Clown should disqualify her from anything.
Failed as family minister, failed as military minister, yet got promoted to European Parlament and now that? What’s next? President of the United States of America without having their citizenship?
Please don’t
rip nato
I’ll remind everyone here that her time as german defense minister was considered so bad, she gained the nickname ‘Flinten-Uschi’. :V One of her many nicknames she has in germany. She is a failed german politician that somehow got the gig of EU commission president because Macron liked her and Merkel probably needed to get her out of the german government and this seemed like a great opportunity to do so.
In fairness though, I think she is doing fine as EU commission president? But how is it that whenever a big position needs to be filled, somehow it’s her name that’s always coming up and I just don’t understand why.
She had a scandal regarding cronyism for consulting contracts as german defense minister and it’s pretty well-known tool. Threw out millions and millions to hear some mckinsey consultants’ opinions instead of acting. And now the US president thinks that’s a great basis for the head of NATO? Wth is going on. There has got to be somebody more qualified and more importantly, with less baggage than her, right?
I actually like Ursula vor der Leyen.
Always when I am depressed and suicidal, I remember her. She reminds me that while I am completely incompetent and useless human being, I still can become the leader of one of the largest and most powerful countries in the world.
She has great gift to inspire me and give me hope. A true leader.
She was the real boss of Jeffrey Epstein because there is no other explanation
This lady mastered the art of failing upwards.
Served as defence minister and was whisked away to Europe right before a brewing consultancy-scandal in her ministry came to roost.
Now she might just get rewarded for the rather stagnant response of the EU to issues like immigration by getting a nomination for NATO chief. At this rate I swear I would not be surprised if she went on to become new UN Chief – Will soon be Europe’s turn anyway won’t it? Not sure there has been a european UN chief since that ill-fated Waldheim tenure.
No…
Who’s a good puppy? Who’s a good doggy? Here’s a treat!
They rejected Ben Wallace… for this? Fuck that noise.