Biden will host outgoing NATO secretary-general Stoltenberg as competition to replace him heats up

U.S. President Joe Biden will welcome outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to the White House for talks on Tuesday as the competition to find his successor to lead the military alliance heats up.

U.S. President Joe Biden will welcome outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to the White House for talks on Tuesday as the competition to find his successor to lead the military alliance heats up.

Stoltenberg, who has led the NATO since 2014 and has had his tenure extended three times, said earlier this year he would move on when his current term expires at the end of September. The jockeying to replace him is intensifying as leaders of the 31-member military alliance are set to meet next month for their annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Stoltenberg is in the midst of a tour of NATO capitals to meet with leaders ahead of the summit.

The meeting with Biden originally was scheduled for Monday, but the White House announced it was being rescheduled for Tuesday because the president underwent an unexpected root canal procedure after experiencing dental pain. White House officials said that Tuesday's agenda would be wide-ranging but that there would be a particular focus on the war in Ukraine.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby would not comment on whether Biden would ask Stoltenberg to extend again, but praised the former Norwegian prime minister for doing a "superb job" heading the alliance.

Last week, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made the case for U.K. Defence Minister Ben Wallace directly to Biden. The Democratic president also met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, another potential contender.

Asked about the NATO job at a news conference with Sunak by his side, Biden called Wallace "very qualified" but noted that the conversation among NATO leaders to find a "consensus" pick to replace Stoltenberg was ongoing. Biden's opinion carries enormous weight as the U.S. spends more than any other member in the alliance on defence.

Frederiksen sought to play down her candidacy after she met with Biden last week. She declined to say whether she discussed the coming vacancy with him, telling reporters that she did not want to go "further in these speculations about NATO." The alliance has never had a female secretary-general.