Von der Leyen is said to be Joe Biden’s preferred choice (Image: Getty)

Joe Biden is reportedly pushing for European Commission President Ursela von der Leyen to take over as the head of NATO.

This comes just weeks after Ben Wallace’s candidacy was blocked by the White House.

 

Ms Von der Leyen is Mr Biden’s preferred candidate, sources told the Telegraph.

Today, NATO allies agreed a one-year extension for Jens Stoltenberg, who has served as secretary general of the alliance since October 2014.

He will now lead NATO until autumn 2024.

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 told the Telegraph that Mr Biden is 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.”

A third source said that the US President and the former German Defence Minister have built a “strong bond” in recent years.

Ben Wallace’s candidacy was blocked by the White House (Image: Getty)

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”

Source