The head of NATO balked twice last week when asked to vouch for the mental and physical fitness of U.S. President Joe Biden to lead the alliance in the long-term fight to save Ukraine and contain an expansionist Russia.
When first asked at a news conference Friday for his impression on the state of Biden’s overall health, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg would say only that he had worked with Biden on a variety of issues and “I appreciate his strong commitment to NATO.”
The second question put to Stoltenberg on the 81-year-old Biden’s ability to meet the demands of the presidency and global leadership was more direct: “Do you truly believe that President Biden is mentally and physically fit enough to lead the biggest nuclear armed [NATO] ally for now and for the next four-and-one-half years?”
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In his reply, Stoltenberg said, “One of the reasons why NATO is successful is that we have always stayed out of domestic political issues.
“If I start to say anything that makes it possible to connect me to ongoing political debates in any allied country, I will actually weaken the alliance,” he added.
The news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels was intended to be a preview of the NATO summit in Washington marking the 75th anniversary of the alliance. The summit was expected to focus on shoring up support for Ukraine, but…
