(TheRedAlertNews.com) – President Joe Biden shocked and dismayed friends and foes alike by skipping a state dinner with the leaders of the US-led NATO military alliance and going straight to his hotel instead, once again raising doubts about his physical and mental fitness and stamina for the demanding job he currently holds and wants for a second term.
On Tuesday, Biden arrived in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, close to the borders of Putin’s Russia, for a summit with the fellow state leaders of the 31 NATO member states and other US allies.
Biden decided not to go to the dinner with the other NATO leaders; he sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken to attend instead, The Daily Mail reports.
After meeting with Turkey’s leader Recep Erdogan earlier on Tuesday and telling him he will be reelected in 2024, Biden went to his hotel instead of the dinner he was expected to attend.
“Thank you. I look forward to being with you in the next five years, Mr. President,” Biden said.
Biden’s meeting with Erdogan came after the latter agreed to lift his objections to Sweden’s accession to NATO as the alliance’s 32nd member state, reportedly in exchange for being allowed to buy US F-16 fighter jets.
Sweden’s neighbor Finland joined NATO earlier this year, a move motivated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the Swedish membership bid was vetoed by the Turks with demands that Sweden hand over exiled Kurdish rebels, whom Turkey views as terrorists.
Erdogan, recently reelected for another five-year term, said his meeting with Biden was a “step forward” in the somewhat rocky US-Turkish relations.
“And with the forthcoming elections, I would like to take this opportunity to also wish you the best of luck,” the Turkish strongman declared.
According to a US official, the 80-year-old Biden headed to his accommodation instead of the NATO leaders’ dinner because of his busy schedule over the next four days, including a “big speech” on Wednesday.
Before heading to Europe on Sunday, the president went to the beach on Saturday.
Later on Tuesday, the White House said that after returning to his hotel, Biden made several phone calls to address the current flood in Vermont.
Thus, he spoke with Vermont Governor Phil Scott, US Senator Bernie Sanders, and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about “his commitment to deliver federal assistance needed to help respond to severe flooding.”
