Watch as Biden and Kenya’s president hold press conference after White House visit
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Your support makes all the difference.Watch as Joe Biden hosts Kenya’s president, William Ruto, for a state visit to mark the 60th anniversary of US-Kenya diplomatic relations on Thursday 23 May.
The White House meeting is aimed at deepening US relations with African nations, which have been sidelined by wars in Ukraine and Gaza, with a flurry of deal announcements.
Mr Ruto’s trip is the first state visit for an African president to the White House since 2008.
Successive US governments have said they wanted to offer a more sustainable and democratic alternative to relations with rivals China and Russia, but have failed to establish real ties.
Africa’s political landscape has been upended in the past year by a spate of military coups, wars and shaky elections that have given China and Russia greater influence.
Mr Biden hopes strengthening ties with Kenya, seen as a democratic stronghold, can help stabilise the continent and advance US interests.
The White House said Mr Biden would also designate Kenya as a major non-Nato ally, the first sub-Saharan African country to receive the designation.
Currently, 18 countries are designated as non-Nato allies, including Qatar, Israel, Brazil and the Philippines.
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