US president Joe Biden has pushed to make Ursula von der Leyen Nato's secretary general after Britain revealed plans to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s without his approval.
The role is up for grabs until Autumn 2024 when Jens Stoltenberg, who has been secretary general since October 2014, steps down as head the alliance.
Ben Wallace, the UK Defence Secretary, had been a front-runner but has failed to back support from the US.
It has emerged that the lack of US backing is due to tensions over Britain’s ambitious military support for Ukraine.
Senior Conservative MPs are now urging the Prime Minister to back an alternative candidate over concerns Von der Leyen would be a 'politically divisive' option
Reuters
Washington was said to be angered when the UK unveiled plans to train Ukrainian pilots, and form an international effort to arm them with US-made F-16 jets, without its consent.
The move “ended any remaining hope” the Defence Secretary had of winning support from Biden, a source told The Telegraph.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was said to have “lobbied hard” for Wallace to become Nato’s next head during his latest visit to the White House.
Shortly after the meeting, Biden told a news conference that the UK had a “very qualified individual” for the job.
Sunak said Wallace “had been an outstanding candidate for the role” on Tuesday but he has since ruled himself out of the running to become the next Nato boss.
Senior Conservative MPs are now urging the Prime Minister to back an alternative candidate over concerns Von der Leyen would be a “politically divisive” option at a time when Nato needs to maintain unity.
“He should certainly not be too anxious to support. The worry is that the EU is pursuing permanent structured cooperation, which is detracting from the integrity of Nato. Von der Leyen has been a keen proponent of it," David Jones, a former Cabinet minister told The Telegraph.
Sunak vowed to create an “international coalition” to help procure F-16 aircraft for Ukraine following a meeting with Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
It has emerged that the lack of US backing is due to tensions over Britain’s ambitious military support for Ukraine
Reuters
Downing Street announced that London and the Netherlands “would work to build an international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat air capabilities, supporting with everything from training to procuring F-16 jets”.
Previously, Wallace had forced Biden’s hand by announcing donations of tanks and long-range missiles to Ukraine.
After a pressure campaign, the US president, who controls the export licences for F-16s, eventually agreed to allow European allies to train Ukrainian pilots on the jets and their weapon systems.
