Ursula Von der Leyen sidelines Boris for Macron and Biden
Joe Biden has been mocked for backing Ursula von der Leyen as the new NATO chief.
Former Armed Forces Minister and Tory MP Mark Francois described the EU Commission president as “an absolute disaster”, claiming she has a “hapless” record from her time as Germany’s defence minister.
Ms Von der Leyen is said to be the US President’s first-choice candidate.
He is reportedly pushing for Ms Von der Leyen to take over as the head of NATO, just weeks after Ben Wallace’s candidacy for the job was blocked by the White House.
He will now lead NATO until the autumn of 2024.
Mr Francois told the Daily Express: “VDL, as she is widely known, would be an absolute disaster as NATO Sec Gen; you only have to look at her record as Germany’s hapless Defence Minister to see that.”
He added: “Vladimir Putin must be laughing his head off at the thought.”
Yesterday, NATO allies agreed a one-year extension for Jens Stoltenberg, who has served as secretary general of the alliance since October 2014.
NATO leaders were hoping to reach an agreement on its next chief at their annual summit, taking place in Lithuania next week but they have failed to select a candidate.
A source close to the alliance said Mr Biden was attempting to convince the President of the European Commission to succeed Mr Stoltenberg.
Another source said: “We’re going to have a problem next year when it becomes clear that the field is no stronger than this year.”
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A third source told the Telegraph the US President and the former German Defence Minister have built a “strong bond” in recent years.
The European Commission president has previously said it is an “honour” to appear on the list of potential successors.
But a spokesperson for the EU boss said she is “not available for the job, be it now or in the future”.
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