Ben Wallace rules out being next Nato chief

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has ruled himself retired of the contention to go the adjacent Nato chief.

Asked astir starring the confederation from autumn onwards, erstwhile Jens Stoltenberg's word ends, Mr Wallace told the Economist: "It's not going to happen".

Several Nato members, including the US, are thought to person privately been lobbying Mr Stoltenberg to enactment on.

But connected Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said his state was not "promoting immoderate peculiar candidate".

Nato - the West's antiaircraft subject confederation - has 31 members who hold to assistance 1 different if they travel nether attack.

Speaking to German media astir the apical occupation past month, Mr Wallace said: "I've ever said it would beryllium a bully job. That's a occupation I'd like. But I'm besides loving the occupation I bash now."

Despite his evident enthusiasm to win Mr Stoltenberg arsenic the adjacent caput of Nato, helium appears to person failed to get the backing of cardinal allies.

US President Joe Biden described Mr Wallace arsenic "very qualified" for the occupation erstwhile helium met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak successful Washington recently.

But successful private, the US is believed to beryllium 1 of the nations trying to transportation Mr Stoltenberg to enactment - astatine slightest for different year. This was echoed by Mr Wallace successful comments to The Economist.

The warfare successful Ukraine has re-focused diplomatic attraction connected Nato's relation successful the 21st period and whether it tin deter Russian aggression.

Mr Wallace proved fashionable with a fig of countries connected the alliance's eastbound flank due to the fact that of his enactment successful supplying weapons to Ukraine.

But others person argued for continuity successful a clip of war, oregon that the occupation should beryllium reserved for a erstwhile caput of government.

Mr Stoltenberg, who has been the alliance's apical brag for 9 years, has neither confirmed oregon denied his intentions to proceed successful the job.

He told reporters past week: "I americium liable for each decisions that this confederation has to instrumentality but for one. And that is astir my future. That is for the 31 allies to decide."

Another contender for the relation is Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who - if elected - would beryllium the archetypal pistillate Nato chief.

In his interrogation with the Economist, Mr Wallace said whoever takes connected the relation would request to woody with "a batch of unresolved issues successful Nato," including differing demands from US and French leadership.

France believes Nato's caput wide should travel from wrong the European Union.

With little than a period to spell until the Nato acme successful Lithuania, it looks progressively apt that Mr Stoltenberg volition beryllium asked to widen his tenure again.

Nato was formed successful 1949 by 12 countries and its archetypal extremity was to situation Soviet enlargement successful Europe aft World War Two.

More recently, Russia has utilized the enlargement of Nato arsenic a pretext for its full-scale penetration of Ukraine. Kyiv is not a member, but has received enactment from confederation members.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said helium was disappointed his state had not been invited to articulation Nato astatine adjacent month's acme successful Vilnius, adding that Ukraine would beryllium the strongest subordinate of Nato's eastbound flank.