NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNN in an interview on Aug. 30 that he would not continue to serve as Secretary General of NATO after his extended term ends in October 2024.
The former Norwegian Prime Minister was elected Secretary General of NATO in October 2014. His official term is supposed to end next month, however, NATO members have been unable to agree on Stoltenberg's successor. Stoltenberg later confirmed that he would serve an extended term as Secretary General of NATO until October 2024.
Several candidates were recommended to replace the current NATO chief, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. None of the presented candidates were able to win the support of all 31 NATO member states.
The alliance has faced increased pressure as discussions about Ukraine's pathway to membership continue to unfold. Earlier this month, Stian Jenssen, chief of staff to the NATO secretary-general, walked back on a previous comments about Ukraine potentially giving up territory to Russia in return for NATO membership.
Asami Terajima
