U.S. President Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet Thursday for his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto and announced plans to name Kenya a major non-NATO ally, as Washington vies for influence in Africa against Moscow and Beijing.
Kenya will become the first sub-Saharan African nation to receive the designation, which is currently held by another 18 countries including Ukraine and boosts military and diplomatic links, although without a formal security pact.
Ruto's is the first state visit by an African president to the White House since 2008. The U.S. recently has been focused on wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and China has become Africa's biggest bilateral trading partner.
The visit – including a joint news conference and a luxurious White House dinner – comes as the United States and ally France are on the back foot in Africa, where China and Russia are expanding their political and economic influence.
Greeting Ruto earlier in front of a colorful honor guard on the White House South Lawn, Biden emphasized that the two countries are "united by the same democratic values."
"We are stronger and the world is safer when Kenya and the United States work together," Biden said, as a light rain fell.
Ruto, who also underlined Kenya's democratic record, said he would discuss climate change, debt distress and East African security with Biden.
"I am confident, Mr. President, that the partnership of the United States and Kenya will give us the solutions that the world so seriously needs," he said.
The two leaders later said in a joint statement that Biden "announced his intent to designate Kenya as a major non-NATO ally."
"This is a powerful symbol of the close relationship our two countries share," Biden and Ruto said in the statement.
Talks in the Oval Office also focused on Kenya's leadership of an upcoming international police mission to Haiti, where months of gang violence and political chaos have left the tiny Caribbean nation in a humanitarian crisis.
"Democracy is obviously on the back foot globally and we see Kenya as an important, stable democracy in East Africa," said a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The state dinner for Ruot was to be one of the White House's biggest-ever, leaning in to the African leader's tastes by showcasing two uniquely American types of music: gospel and country.
The dinner Thursday night in a pavilion erected on the South Lawn was to feature performances by country star Brad Paisley and the gospel choir of Howard University in Washington.
The menu includes fruitwood-smoked beef short ribs, poached lobster, chilled heirloom tomato soup and a white chocolate basket.
Biden was expecting up to 500 guests. It's the sixth and largest of the state dinners his administration has hosted.
The two countries also announced partnership announcements in health and the battle against climate change, as well as private sector investment.
And they issued a "joint vision statement" on reducing the mounting debts of developing countries and the handicap it represents for African countries trying to grow their economies.
Biden held a major summit for African leaders in 2022, but the 81-year-old failed to keep a promise to visit the continent last year.
This week, he said he plans to visit "in February after I'm reelected" – a show of optimism about his prospects in November's election.
The Democrat faces a rematch against Donald Trump.
Africa has often been on the back burner for U.S. diplomats but the continent now presents a growing headache in Washington.
Russia has established new footholds – most recently in Niger, where the United States has agreed to withdraw its 1,000 troops, while Russian troops come in.
The United States also faces competition from China, which has pumped billions in infrastructure money into Africa for the past two decades.
