NATO said on Sunday it does not plan to extend the mandate of long-serving NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for a fourth time, which is due to expire in October.

NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu said: “Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s mandate has been extended three times, and he served for a total of about nine years. The Secretary-General’s term ends in October of this year. He has no intention of asking for a further extension of his tenure of office.”

Former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg took office at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels on 1 October 2014 and has led the Western alliance through many international crises. Stoltenberg also oversaw NATO’s response to the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022 and was the most brutal war on European soil since the 1940s. The Secretary-General has been a bridge between European allies and Washington, especially during the time of former US president Donald Trump, who has been a frequent critic of NATO.

Diplomats from various NATO allies thought Stoltenberg’s mandate could be extended once again until next year’s summit to celebrate the alliance’s 75^th anniversary. But after his visit to Washington last week, his office announced that Stoltenberg would not seek a further extension.