Sunak intends to convince Biden to support Wallace’s candidacy for the post of NATO Secretary General

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak intends to use his upcoming visit to Washington to convince US President Joe Biden to support the candidacy of the United Kingdom Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace for the post of NATO Secretary General. This was reported on Sunday evening by The Daily Telegraph, citing sources.

According to them, already on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, which took place in the second half of May, Sunak promoted among Western countries the idea of ​​appointing Wallace to the post of NATO Secretary General. The current head of the British Ministry of Defense is popular in the United States due to the fact that he achieved an increase in the kingdom’s military spending to 2.25% of GDP and played an important role in the formation of an international coalition in support of Ukraine, the newspaper writes.

At the same time, the newspaper noted that France and Germany could oppose the appointment of Wallace. In addition, some NATO member countries are sending signals about the need for the first time to elect a woman as the head of the North Atlantic Alliance. One of the most likely candidates for the post of Secretary General, in addition to Wallace, is the Prime Minister Denmark Mette Frederiksen, with whom Biden will meet on June 5 at the White House. The British authorities are skeptical about her appointment, given that the number of the Danish Armed Forces is less than 20 thousand people, and the country itself allocates less than 2% of GDP for military spending, the publication indicated.

As Sunak’s spokesman said earlier, the British prime minister will visit Washington on June 7-8 and meet with Biden and US congressmen. The parties will discuss the issue of supporting Ukraine, deepening economic cooperation and developing artificial intelligence.