Biden and Trudeau hold first bilateral meeting virtually

Joe Biden was in the Roosevelt Room at the White House (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

United States president Joe Biden has had his first bilateral meeting with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau virtually, with the coronavirus pandemic stripping the occasion of its customary Oval Office fanfare.

The two leaders – Mr Biden in the Roosevelt Room at the White House and Mr Trudeau in the prime minister’s office in Ottawa – delivered friendly opening remarks in front of the media.