WASHINGTON– President Joe Biden received Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania, at the White House on Tuesday, with the two leaders celebrating their joint cooperation on issues including international security, the economy and continued support for Ukraine.
The meeting in the Oval Office was supposed to mark Romania’s two decades as a NATO member, according to the White House.
At the start of the meeting, Biden joked that he had advocated for Romania’s membership in NATO when he was a senator “180 years ago” and said the alliance was stronger for the inclusion of the country. Biden noted that Romanian and U.S. troops fought and trained side by side and praised Romania for “stepping up” to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion.
“The United States is committed to standing with you,” Biden told Iohannis.
In turn, Iohannis thanked Biden for welcoming him and called the transatlantic alliance “a cornerstone of our democratic way of life.” He said he intended to move toward a visa waiver for Romanian travelers to the United States, but that the most important topic was “finding a way to restore peace” to Europe and ensuring that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not win.
Iohannis announced in March that he would run to be NATO’s next secretary general, although Biden and many other alliance leaders have thrown their support behind Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to say Tuesday whether the issue was raised during the two leaders’ meeting, deferring to a reading expected later.
Earlier Tuesday, White House national security spokesman John Kirby sidestepped a question about whether Biden would ask Iohannis to clear the way for Rutte. The selection of the next NATO Secretary General requires consensus.
“Nothing has changed in our support for Mr Rutte as the next secretary general,” Kirby said.
