According to Politico, Kaja Kallas, the Prime Minister of Estonia, stated around Tuesday that she would want to be considered for the role of NATO Secretary General whenever Jens Stoltenberg stands down from his position.
According to the source, when asked at a Politico conference in Washington if she would like to be considered for the post, Kallas said “yes” when asked whether she would like to be considered for the role.
Kallas has strongly criticized Russia within the European Union and NATO. He has also advocated for more extensive measures to protect the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, all of which border Russia.
However, according to officials from NATO, Kallas may be seen by certain members of the Western defense alliance as having an overly aggressive stance.
Stoltenberg was appointed to his current position in 2014, and his departure is scheduled for October 2024.
His tenure was extended in July for a fourth time, as the alliance’s 31 member nations preferred to continue with an experienced leader rather than attempt to agree on a successor while Russia’s war in Ukraine was raging on NATO’s doorstep. His term was extended because the alliance’s 31 member countries elected to stick with an experienced leader rather than try to agree on a successor.
Mark Rutte, the outgoing Prime Minister of the Netherlands, has indicated that he is also interested in the position of leading NATO.
