EU chief von der Leyen says she isn’t interested in the top job at NATO

BERLIN (AP) — The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, says she has no interest in becoming the new leader of NATO as the trans-Atlantic military alliance seeks a successor to Jens Stoltenberg. Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, has been NATO secretary general since 2014. His term was due to expire last year but was extended to provide stability after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The leader of NATO members are due to choose a successor when they meet for a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 11-12. No candidate has been proposed publicly. Von der Leyen roundly dismissed the idea of moving to NATO when asked about the possibility in a German television interview.