Biden delays meeting with Nato's Stoltenberg for root canal

The leaders were scheduled to discuss the coming Nato summit in Lithuania

President Joe Biden and Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at an alliance summit in Madrid last year. AP

A dental procedure led US President Joe Biden to postpone a meeting with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday.

Mr Biden, 80, had been scheduled to host the White House meeting to discuss the Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, next month, but the meeting was pushed back until Tuesday.

An administration official confirmed to The National that the delay was due to a root canal operation the President underwent on Monday morning.

A note from Mr Biden's physician said the President had been “experiencing some dental pain” on Sunday, and that he was examined by a dental team from Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre.

The White House said Mr Biden would not be put under general anaesthesia for the procedure, meaning the 25th Amendment, which gives the vice president presidential powers, would not be invoked.

It was announced earlier that the root canal would also prevent Mr Biden from hosting the College Athlete Day at the White House, celebrating women’s and men’s NCAA Champion teams from the 2022-2023 season.

Mr Stoltenberg, who has led Nato since 2014, indicated earlier this year that he would move on when his term expires at the end of September.