NATO defense ministers began meeting to prepare for a July summit where a key question will be Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's replacement.
The two-day meeting that runs through Friday at NATO's headquarters in Brussels focuses on the military alliance's regional deterrence and defense plans and long-term support for Ukraine in its war to repel Russia's invasion.
"They meet at a critical time. NATO has launched a counteroffensive. What we see is fierce fighting. It's still early days, but we also see that Ukrainians are making gains and that Ukraine is able to liberate occupied land," Stoltenberg told reporters on Thursday.
"This is due to the courage, the bravery, the skills of the Ukrainian soldiers, but it also highlights and demonstrates that the support NATO allies have been giving to Ukraine now for many, many months actually makes a difference on the battlefield as we speak," he said. "So one of the main issues we will address is how to sustain and step up the support to Ukraine."
Another important item is whether Stoltenberg or a successor, likely from Europe, will lead the 31-nation alliance's summit at Vilnius, Lithuania. The issue has grown complicated with debate over who should succeed him.
It's also possible that he could agree to a fourth contract extension out of a sense of duty during a time of war in Europe and owing to the widespread support for him among NATO allies.
“If we don’t agree on a candidate for successor, NATO won’t be able to go without a secretary general, and, of course, I am for an extension, particularly as I appreciate our cooperation,” Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters.
The Norwegian former prime minister, who began his career as a journalist and is a trained economist, took on the reins of the Western alliance in March 2014.
After more than nine years and three contract extensions, Stoltenberg indicated he won't seek to extend his tenure beyond its scheduled end on Sept. 30. Just weeks before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Norway's government announced Stoltenberg would serve as its new central bank chief.
Stoltenberg agreed to serve out his term in Brussels, then head the central bank starting around Dec. 1. That still appeared to be his mindset before this week's meeting.
"I'm absolutely confident that this great alliance will be able to find a great successor. And my focus now is on leading the alliance until my tenure ends this fall," he told PBS NewsHour on Monday.
"We're in midst of a war in Europe. And I'm focused on that," he said. "I'm confident that the 30 allies, 31 allies, will find a successor to replace me."
Asked whether he would stay on if asked, Stoltenberg did not rule it out.
"No, but, I mean, I have no other plans than to end my tenure as secretary-general. I have been extended three times already. I'm here now. The plan was to be here for four years. I have been there for nine years," he said.
"The good thing for everyone is now to have another person at the helm of the alliance. My focus is on being here, leading the alliance until there's a new person in place."
A European race, swayed by U.S. sentiment
During his tenure, Stoltenberg has presided over NATO's expansion with Finland joining as the 31st member and the alliance's growing response to Russia's expanded invasion of Ukraine.
He also has contended with NATO's withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and with former U.S. President Donald Trump's hostility to multilateralism and pressure for other NATO allies to significantly boost their military spending.
NATO set a target in 2014 for its allies' spending to reach 2% of GDP by 2024. So far only seven of 31 nations – Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the United States and the United Kingdom – are meeting the target.
Stoltenberg appears to enjoy strong support from U.S. President Joe Biden, who hosted a meeting between the two on Tuesday at the White House.
"I want to thank you again, secretary general, for your partnership, your friendship, and most importantly, your leadership of NATO," Biden told Stoltenberg at a joint appearance.
"In no small part because of your leadership," Biden added, "we’ve got — beyond NATO, we’ve gotten another 30-something — well, a total of 40 nations that are committed to — to the independence of Ukraine. And I think it’s a real clear message."
The United States, NATO's biggest military power, always appoints an American to serve as the military commander for the alliance. A European always serves as the secretary general.
Most nations favor a former head of state or government for the role, and some want to see a woman chosen for the first time to lead NATO. The gravity of the war in Ukraine also has complicated the race, giving rise to calls for a leader from Eastern Europe.
Some of the potential candidates, such as Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a German former defense minister, have taken themselves out of the race.
Biden also has been hosting meetings at the White House with other apparent front-runners for the NATO job.
Last week he met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who could become the first woman to lead the military alliance, and with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who wants his defense secretary, Ben Wallace, to lead NATO.
