The Times tipping Danish PM…
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/d...nato-vctkvltwm
Support grows for Danish PM to lead Nato
The prime minister of Denmark was gathering momentum to become the next head of Nato ahead of her meeting with President Biden at the White House yesterday.
Several European countries are understood to see Mette Frederiksen, 45, as the strongest contender to replace Jens Stoltenberg when he steps down as secretary-general of the alliance in October, although she denies she is interested in the job.
Western diplomatic sources said Frederiksen was regarded as a good communicator who could keep the peace between allies pushing for a tougher approach to Russia and those favouring restraint. A number of member states are also believed to be keen to see Nato led by a woman for the first time in its nearly 75-year history.…
Official sources say the allies hope to agree on Stoltenberg’s successor over the coming weeks and ideally by the Nato summit in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, next month.…
Frederiksen, a Social Democrat who came to power in 2019 and heads a broad-based coalition with the centre right, has taken several steps over the past year that would improve her chances of getting the job.
A year ago she won a referendum on ending Denmark’s traditional exemption from the European Union’s collective defence policies.
Since then she has accelerated plans to raise Denmark’s military budget and placed her country at the centre of an international coalition training Ukrainian fighter pilots to fly F-16 combat jets.
Yesterday Frederiksen said she had discussed defence and security along with other topics during a two-hour meeting with Biden in the Oval Office. However she played down speculation that she had sought the president’s approval for a future Nato role….
Sources from several countries say
Wallace has been waging an assiduous charm offensive in the hope of becoming secretary-general of Nato. He is well liked by many European allies but few officials believe he will succeed.
Kallas is also understood to have support but there are concerns that she is too hawkish for the taste of some of the more circumspect members of the alliance.