Leyen declines candidacy for NATO leadership position.

Stoltenberg’s term of office will expire in October this year and he has no intention of asking for another term extension.

Stoltenberg’s mandate has been extended three times, and he has been in this position for a total of almost nine years.

Last March, shortly after Russia started a full-scale war in Ukraine, NATO members decided to extend Stoltenberg’s term of office by a year – until September 30, 2023.