According to the influential business daily Financial Times, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė is a potential candidate to replace Jens Stoltenberg as secretary general of NATO.
“Officials in Vilnius argue that it is time both for somebody from NATO’s eastern flank with Russia and a woman to become secretary-general to succeed Jens Stoltenberg, whose term was extended by one year in March to end in September 2023,” the Financial Times said in a piece published on Wednesday.
However, the daily notes that the possibility of NATO being led by a person from the Baltic states is viewed with caution, since the countries traditionally hold a tough line on Russia and it could be perceived as a provocation in Moscow.
The publication quotes “four NATO officials” as saying that no formal discussions have started on who might succeed Stoltenberg, who previously served as Norway’s prime minister. NATO ambassadors could begin talks in earnest around February 2023.
Lithuania is hosting the next NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11-12 next year.
The other potential candidates mentioned by the FT are Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Previously, Lithuania’s former President Dalia Grybauskaitė was also mentioned among potential candidates to lead NATO. However, in an interview with The New York Times last week, Grybauskaitė said that her tough stance on Russia would be an obstacle to her taking the post.
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