A favorite of Russian President Vladimir Putin has emerged as a leading contender to become the next UN secretary-general.

Irina Bokova, 63, the director-general of UNESCO, the UN’s cultural arm, was nominated by her government, Bulgaria, last week to succeed Ban Ki-moon, who steps down at the end of this year, the Sunday Times of London reported.

The US, Britain and other allies reportedly object and want a different candidate.

Bokova, a former Bulgarian Communist Party member, is thought to have angered Washington while at UNESCO by recognizing Palestine as a state.

She also was one of the few foreign officials to attend Putin’s World War II victory parade in Moscow last year, along with Cuban President Raul Castro and Chinese president Xi Jinping.