NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg to stay in office until Oct. 1, 2024, ‘in a more dangerous world'

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will remain in his role leading the military alliance for one more year, NATO allies announced on Tuesday.

The decision to extend Stoltenberg's term to Oct. 1, 2024, comes one week before President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts will gather in Vilnius, Lithuania, for a critical NATO summit to discuss providing increased security guarantees for Ukraine amid its war against Russia.

Stoltenberg's tenure at the helm of NATO was due to end last year, but allies agreed to keep the former Norwegian prime minister in charge of the alliance to avoid a leadership transition in the early months of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This year, however, the decision to extend Stoltenberg's tenure this year reflects allies' inability to come to an agreement on a successor to lead the 31-nation military alliance. Allies must make decisions unanimously, but the alliance could not find common ground on any of the leading contenders to succeed Stoltenberg in the role.

Stoltenberg said in a statement Tuesday that he is honored by the decision.

"The transatlantic bond between Europe and North America has ensured our freedom and security for nearly seventy-five years, and in a more dangerous world, our great Alliance is more important than ever," he said.

Biden said in a statement Tuesday that he welcomed the decision to extend Stoltenberg's tenure leading NATO.

"With his steady leadership, experience, and judgement, Secretary General Stoltenberg has brought our Alliance through the most significant challenges in European security since World War II," Biden said. "Today, our Alliance is stronger, more united and purposeful than it has ever been."

Biden also said he looks forward to working with Stoltenberg at the NATO summit in Lithuania next week and during next year's 75th anniversary NATO summit in Washington.

Many NATO allies advocated for a woman to be named to succeed Stoltenberg, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emerging as a favorite to lead the alliance. Frederiksen visited White House last month in a meeting many interpreted as an opportunity for Biden to interview Frederiksen for the role.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were also floated as contenders to succeed Stoltenberg. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who visited the White House the same week as Frederiksen, was a strong advocate to appoint his own defense secretary, Ben Wallace, to NATO's top post.

Sunak wrote in tweet on Tuesday that during Stoltenberg's tenure, "NATO has evolved to meet new threats, continued to protect our people and has been steadfast in support of Ukraine."

"Looking forward to continuing that work together, Jens," Sunak added.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg's term extended until Oct. 1, 2024