Ursula von der Leyen in the running for NATO head
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will run to become NATO's next secretary general, The Sun newspaper reported on Friday, citing a diplomatic source, Reuters reports, cited by Agerpres.
Several North Atlantic Alliance member states have suggested that von der Leyen will take over in October, according to the source.
The current NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, ends his term as planned in October after being extended three times. Stoltenberg has held the post for almost nine years.
The Sun, citing UK sources, also said that London would oppose the candidacy of von der Leyen, who previously served as defence minister, citing her poor performance in leading Germany's armed forces.
German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace are among the candidates to lead NATO.
