NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg will stay in office for another year, the Western military alliance decided today.

Mr Stoltenberg said in a tweet that he is “honoured by Nato allies’ decision to extend my term as secretary-general until 1 October 2024.”

The former prime minister of Norway has been the 31-nation organisation’s top civilian official since 2014.

His term had been due to expire last year but was extended after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Nato government leaders had been due to name a successor at a meeting in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius next week, but no agreement could be found on a new candidate.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace were all mooted as possible candidates.

Mr Wallace pushed to become the first Briton to lead the alliance since 2003 but lacked the necessary support, particularly from the United States.

It is the fourth time that Mr Stoltenberg has had his mandate extended.

Quizzed repeatedly in recent weeks over whether he would agree to have his term renewed, the secretary-general said that he was not seeking to stay on and had no plans other than to continue to carry out his duties and wrap up his time at the helm in September.

Nato secretaries-general are responsible for chairing meetings and guiding consultations between the member countries to ensure that compromises are found that allow the organisation to function.

Mr Stoltenberg has managed to tread a very fine line, refraining from criticising member states led by maverick leaders such as former US president Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.