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Biden Holds Joint News Conference With Kenyan President. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired May 23, 2024 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:30:51]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Beginning a press conference.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- wake the best that is in you.
Today, we mark 60 years of partnership between our democracies. And we're fulfilling that wish together and we're continuing.
I truly believe it's brought out the best in both of us, not only in Kenya and America, but around the world. It's had a positive impact.
Through our partnership, we're continuing to meet our responsibility to four key areas. First, I'm proud to announce we're working with Congress to designate Kenya a major non-NATO ally. That's a fulfillment of years of collaboration.
Our joint check -- counterterrorism operations have degraded ISIS and Al-Shabaab across East Africa. Our mutual support for Ukraine has rallied the world to stand behind the U.N. charter. And our work together on Haiti is helping pave the way to reduce instability and insecurity.
And I want to thank you, Mr. President, for Kenya's leadership for the multinational security support mission in Haiti.
Our new partner, global partnership's going to build on all this progress. We're going to make -- meet new challenges and with more resources. And it's going to strengthen the security of our countries and our countries around the world.
Second, we're deepening our economic cooperation. Both President Ruto and I have focused on growing economies -- our growing economies and growing them from the bottom up, the middle out, the bottom-up. And when that happens, everybody does, not the top down.
Because when the middle-class does well, the poor have a ladder up and the wealthy still do very well. That's true in Kenya. That's true in America. And that's to around the world.
Right now, in many companies -- many countries, debt stands in the way of growth. Too many nations are forced to make a choice between development and dead, between investing in their people and paying back their creditors.
So today, we're launching what we're calling the Nairobi-Washington Vision. This -- this initiative is going to bring together international financial institutions from nations from all around the world to mobilize more resources for countries saddled with debt, to open more opportunities to the private-sector financing, to promote transparent, sustainable and affordable lending practices.
These are big goals. It's going to take time to see lasting progress. But we're providing $250 million, the United States is, the World Bank, and a crisis response window.
In the coming weeks, the United States is going to make an additional $21 billion available to the International Monetary Fund.
Today, I'm proud to announce there'll be $250 billion in new lending capacity for multilateral development banks like the World Bank, so nations can invest in their development and tackle growing challenges.
This is supported by the United States and many other countries as well.
Next, we're launching a new era of knowledge -- to technological cooperation between the United States and Kenya. That means new partnerships, new partnerships with industry, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and cybersecurity companies.
New initiatives to expand affordable Internet all across East Africa, to education programs. We are going to bring Kenyan students to the United States to study in the STEM fields.
And I'm proud to announce that I'm working with Congress to make Kenya the first country in Africa to receive funding through the CHIPS and Science Act, which has served us well.
This funding will link their supply chains to the United States, and to our partners, and spur innovation that extends from Silicon Valley in California to Silicon Savannah in Kenya, which, by the way, is already a $1 billion tech comm already, a billion-dollar tech com.
Finally, we're ensuring democracy delivers for our people. That includes Kenya's diasporic community here in the United States.
Two years ago, I mentioned this, the first black vice president and president, Kamala Harris, launched the nation's first presidential advisory council on African diaspora engagement. Today, we're building on her work to strengthen longstanding bonds between our people.
[13:34:58]
I also want to thank you, Mr. President, for taking action to implement the long-awaited Public Benefits Organization Act. This provides historic protections for civil society and NGOs all across Kenya.
Like you, I believe the future is going to be won by countries that unleash their full potential, the full potential of the population, including civil society, women and young people.
I look forward to working together to implement this act and jumpstarting anti-corruption reforms to democratic values of to bind our nations together.
Now let me close with this. Taken together, these are responsibilities Kenyan and America must meet in the years ahead, to meet them together as partners for security, for prosperity, for innovation, and most importantly, for democracy.
But I know these responsibilities will wake the best in us. And I know we'll bring -- will not only bring our nations together.
But I want to thank you, again, Mr. President, for being and knowing we have even bigger dreams of cooperation of our country's.
The floor is yours, sir.
WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. President. And I want to, in a very, very sincere way, thank you, Mr. President, for inviting me to make this state visit to the United States on behalf of the people and government of Kenya.
I also take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude for the warm welcome we have received on arrival and the excellent hospitality of the American people.
My visit provides us, Mr. President, with the opportunity to celebrate 60 years of bilateral relations rooted on shared values of freedom, democracy, rule of law, equality and inclusivity.
My visit takes place at a time when democracy is perceived to be retreating worldwide. The accelerating drift towards regimes in indifferent two democratic values is of deep concern to us.
And I believe it is time the U.S., working with Kenya, deploys its capabilities and rally like-minded democratic countries to set up the course for democracy.
During our discussions, we agreed on the significant opportunity for the U.S. to recalibrate its strategy and strengthen its support for Africa, as discussed at the U.S.-Africa Leadership Summit, by enhancing its investment in the institutions of African integration and increasing support for peace and security.
As we take this historic step of elevating our partnership to be more effective in -- in addressing global challenges, it is important for us to appreciate that many countries in Africa, including Kenya, are struggling with an overwhelming convergence of multiple shocks.
Including extreme climate events, debt distress and the destruct -- disruptive upheavals in Europe and the Middle East, whose cumulative impact is to divest national resources from investment in people and economic growth into managing climate-induced crisis and servicing sovereign debt.
For this reason, I have underscored the imperative for our partnership to facilitate recovery from these multiple crises.
And particularly for the United States of America to take a leading role in a comprehensive debt resolution framework by doubling contribution to the concessionary financing window of the World Bank.
And also to work with the IMF on rechanneling FDRs to institutions like the African Development Bank to further leverage on private- sector funding to support countries.
Unless this is done, and done immediately, the values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law are in great jeopardy.
On regional peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region, I expressed optimism that Kenya and the U.S. will innovatively design appropriate defense and security frameworks to help Kenya as the anchor state of the region in general.
To deal with the peace and security challenges that are undermining human well-being, slowing down development, and also having a negative impact on democracy.
We affirm our mutual commitment to the stabilization of Haiti through the multinational security support mission.
[13:39:59]
The cleaner climate and clean energy industrial partnership we have just committed to is an encouraging milestone on our collective journey and builds on the paradigm shift we have inaugurated at the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi last year.
Accordingly, Africa's resource potential is a huge opportunity to deploy U.S. technology and investment to catalyze unprecedented growth through green industrialization.
We've also agreed to hasten the renewal of the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act to sustain the rising momentum of our investments and exports in the manufacturing space.
Similarly, we agreed to undertake obtainable green growth by facilitating conclusion of our strategic trade and investment partnership alongside the renewal of our goal.
During our discussions, I witnessed firsthand President Biden's and the U.S. government's determination to make our partnership work and resolve to spread and deepen the roots of freedom, democracy, security and prosperity throughout the world.
As my visit comes to a close, I am confident that our engagements have laid a solid foundation for us to continue the work, the good work we have begun with stronger faith and greater hope for success, because in Joe Biden, Kenya and Africa have a strong and committed friend.
I thank you.
BIDEN: Thank you, Mr. President. You do have a friend. And you know Africa will have a billion people not too soon. Your idea, we're going to ignore it, it makes no sense at all.
First question, Michael Wilner, McClatchy.
MICHAEL WILNER, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, MCCLATCHY: Thank you, Mr. President.
Two questions, if I may, on --
BIDEN: No, one.
(LAUGHTER)
WILNER: I'm going to do my level best.
On Haiti and on Israel, your administration went on a worldwide search for security forces, Beninese forces, Bangladeshi, Canadian, Chilian, any but American forces to stand up this multinational security support mission for Haiti before Kenya stood up to lead.
Can you explain why it is that you believe, on the one hand, that this mission is so critical, and on the other, why it is that you have categorically ruled out contributing U.S. forces to this effort?
Is it your goal to beat back Haiti's gangs or to contain them?
And on Israel, does the United States --
BIDEN: One question. I'll answer your question.
WILNER: OK, yes.
BIDEN: The question -- the question of regard to Haiti, we concluded that for the United States to deploy forces in the hemisphere just raises all kinds of questions that can be easily misrepresented about what we're trying to do and be able to be used by those who disagree with us against our -- against the interest of Haiti and the United States.
So we set out to find a partner or partners who would lead that effort that we would participate in, not with American forces but with supplies and making sure they have what they needed.
And so, you know, I'm very grateful for President Ruta's leadership here. A multinational effort, but Kenya's willingness to really lead this matter matters. They're not the only country.
But you're leading this effort.
And there's going to be U.S. forces, none on the ground. We're going to supply logistics, intelligence and equipment. Matter of fact, some equipment has already arrived.
And Kenya's stepping up with police and other countries plan to do as well. The United States is going to support the collective effort here. And of course, Kenyan won't be going in alone. We're working with Congress to provide $300 million to the MSS mission and an additional $60 million for equipment assistance.
And we've also -- we've received and are continuing to bring major contributions from other partners in as well.
President Ruto and I agree that the Haitian people deserve better. They deserve peace and security.
And I thank him for taking on this responsibility. But we have his back and we're there all the way.
WILNER: I do have a question for you, President Ruto.
But before I do, I do very briefly have a question on whether the United States has any evidence at all that would substantiate the ICC prosecutor's specific allegations against Israeli leaders that they are using starvation as a tactic of war in Gaza. Or exculpatory evidence for that matter.
And if you would commit to releasing that information before any potential issuance of ICC arrest warrants.
[13:45:04]
And President Ruto, at the mission that Kenya is about to lead in Haiti, is obviously a support mission. That is well known. But the fact is that Haiti's national police have been internationally funded and trained for some time. And nevertheless have obviously failed to beat back these gangs.
Will Kenyan forces, in partnership with the MSS, be out front in the fight against these gangs or will they be a static force behind the HNP? And are you concerned about casualties among the Kenyan forces?
RUTO: Thank you very much.
Kenya believes that direct responsibility of peace and security anywhere in the world, including in Haiti, is a collective responsibility of all nations and all peoples who believe in freedom, self-determination, democracy and justice.
And it is the reason why Kenya took up this responsibility. Because we have been participating in peacemaking and we have been participating in peacekeeping over the plus 40 years in 47 countries, including very difficult neighborhoods like what we're going to face in Haiti.
We are going to take up that responsibility, alongside the Haitian police. And we have clear modus operandi, how we are going to relate with the situation on the ground that has been agreed under the United Nations framework.
So we are looking forward to this deployment, because we believe that the women and children in Haiti deserve peace, like all other women and children and people around the world. BIDEN: (INAUDIBLE) on ICC, you guys never keep the deal, but that's OK.
Now, you know, we've made our position clear on the ICC. We don't think the -- we don't recognize that jurisdiction, ICC, the way it's been exercised and it's that simple.
We don't think there's an equivalence between what Israel did and what Hamas did.
OK, next -- I advise (ph) the next question as well?
RUTO: Let me get Hiyu Cutti (ph) from Kenya for the next question.
(INAUDIBLE), Hiyu (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you.
One question and this is on Haiti.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: President Biden, Kenya is rather lit -- doing the heavy lifting in Tableau and Phrygian (ph), Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Washington, as you have mentioned, has committed millions of dollars for the course in Haiti. Isn't it ironic that while America is ending its forever wars in Afghanistan, the latest in 2021, under your leadership when you departed from Kabul, and that you're committing Kenya to another foreign wars 12,000 kilometers away from Nairobi.
I mean, why the discrepancy? Why the dichotomy? While you're avoiding the forever wars, these wars, yet you're committing Kenya to Haiti. Can you explain that?
BIDEN: Very easily. There's a reason why Afghanistan has been known as the graveyard of empires. The likelihood of anybody uniting Afghanistan is highly, highly, highly unlikely, number one.
Number two, there are ways to control ISIS, other than occupying Afghanistan. It was an unnecessary need.
Now with regard to Haiti, Haiti is an area of the Caribbean that is very volatile. There's a lot going on in this hemisphere. And we're in a situation where we want to do all we can without us looking like America, once again, is stepping over the side of this is what must be done.
Haitians are looking for help, as well as folks in the Caribbean are looking for help. And so we checked out with a number of other countries. The one who stepped up was Haiti (sic). We've committed to provide whatever, with all the intelligence and equipment and the like to Haiti (sic.)
And so it's a logical thing. And you have a first-rate capability and you keep your word. That's an important dynamic.
RUTO: I agree with President Biden about Kenya's participation in Haiti. It's not so much about what happened in the past. It's about what we believe in, the peace and security of humanity.
[13:50:05]
And we don't find that the U.S. is committing Kenya. Because the U.S. cannot commit Kenya. I am the president of Kenya. It's me to make that decision and it's the people of Kenya to commit their own troops, using their own structures.
We've gone through the processes in Kenya. Parliament as approved. We have a clear mandate. We have a clear framework. And it is us, the people of Kenya who made this decision in the interests of establishing peace and stability as a responsible global citizen.
And understanding that insecurity, instability anywhere is insecurity and stability everywhere.
BIDEN: And by the way, you asked about -- you're implying that we weren't doing anything anywhere else. Well, we're kind of occupied around the world. But we're also engaged in Congo in the neighborhood. And you know, we can help alleviate human suffering there.
The United States, the largest humanitarian donor providing $275 million in humanitarian funding just this year. Could -- we support more than six million displaced people from the DRC. So we are engaged in more than one place.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Follow up to my question, President Ruto, you said that Kenya has committed and in you are. (INAUDIBLE) Atlanta, you said it's based on humanitarianism, helping Haiti out.
But can you explain the geopolitical goal 12,000 kilometers away from Nairobi when schools in the counties of Baringo, West Pokot and Turkana have not yet opened because of the abundance of problems?
Yet, you're committing our national police force to Haiti and where is the priority of this? This has been one of your major manifesto pillars, talking about security.
And to the extent that even the defense cabinet secretary talked about the deployment of, if need be, the Kenyan military or the special personnel to make sure that schools are open, children go to school in areas that have been vulnerable in Kenya.
Why you're committed to Haiti when we have a problem back home? Is it an irony that you are putting the fire in the far-away neighbor's home when you're -- our own home is on fire?
RUTO: Thank you very much. I made a commitment to the people of Kenya to sort out insecurity in the North Rift. I have followed that with action. As we talk, there are 3,000 military officers in the North Rift, 2000 police officers in the North Rift. We have renovated the first 15 schools and completed. We have reopened
20 schools already that we're closed in the North Rift. And that exercise is ongoing.
We have made tremendous progress in making sure that we create security at home. But that does not take away our responsibility.
Even as we we're deploying troops and policeman in our own country in North Rift, to sort out the banditry problem, we still deployed 1,000 -- 1,000 troops to DRC Congo because that is our neighborhood.
We have 5,000 troops in Somalia because, equally, that is our responsibility. And Haiti should not be an exception.
That's why deploying 1,000 security men to Haiti speaks to the same belief and commitment to peace and security.
BIDEN: Next question from April Ryan.
APRIL RYAN, CORRESPONDENT, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, "THE GRIO": Mr. Presidents, President Biden, President Ruto, thank you.
First of all, when you talk about Haiti, President Ruto, you said, "Haiti is a collective responsibility for all nations."
And for you, Mr. President, President Biden and President Ruto, do you believe that these nations can break the back of this militia that has gripped the nation?
And also when it comes to Congo, thank you, Mr. President for bringing up what the United States is doing for the Congo, especially as that flag was behind you, Morehouse.
Mr. President, could you tell me what the African Union is doing as well as Kenya's doing when it comes to the humanitarian crisis in the Congo? Thank you.
BIDEN: What was my question?
(LAUGHTER)
RYAN: Sir, your question was Haiti. Can the --
BIDEN: Yes.
RYAN: -- United States and Kenya or nations collectively break the backs of this coordinated militia that has the grips of the nation, that nation?
BIDEN: Yes.
RYAN: (INAUDIBLE)
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BIDEN: The very way we're doing it. We're not talking about a -- a thousand-person army is made up of trained personnel. This is a trained crisis. It's able to be dealt with.
And we think we can deal with it this way, with a multinational approach with Haiti leading the way, and the U.S. providing intelligence as well as equipment.
RUTO: Gangs and criminals do not have nationalities. They have no religion. They have no language. Their language is one. To deal with them, finally, decisively within the parameters of the law.
And that's what we're building a coalition of nations beyond Kenya and the U.S., many who are making contributions towards the MSS force in Haiti to secure that country and to break the back of the gangs and the criminals that have visited untold suffering in that country.
On DRC, the A.U., the East African community and Kenya has seized without -- I've just told you that Kenya had 1,000 troops in Haiti. We now have another 800 -- not in Haiti, but in DRC. We now have another 800 troops from Sadik.
We are going to be having a meeting of the East African community. I did send my minister of -- my foreign minister to Kinshasa. They had a conversation.
And shortly, we will be looking at how to begin the dialogue process under the Nairobi process. Because we believe there is no military solution to what is going on in DRC.
But instead, dialogue should be able to give us the necessary momentum and outcomes that would settle the matter in eastern DRC.
So both the A.U., the East African community and Kenya as a country, are seized of that matter. We know that the humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC has displaced close to 70 million people.
And I want to thank the United States of America for stepping in with humanitarian support for that region because it is a collaboration of different countries in different ways to deal with that situation.
The rest of us are committing troops. We are committing our -- deploying our infrastructure to facilitate the resolution of the matters in DRC.
Let me ask Nancy Ogutu, from Kenya.
She is here?
OK. Nancy?
NANCY OGUTU, CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Mr. President.
Africa is asking America to lead the way and double its contribution to the World Bank's International Development Assistance to help developing countries access more financing whether it be for debt distress and to tackle climate change.
What is your commitment of this? Thank you. BIDEN: Would you -- I'm sorry, I didn't catch all your question.
OGUTU: Sorry. I'm saying Africa is asking America to lead the way and double its contribution to the World Bank's International Development Assistance to help developing countries --
BIDEN: Yes.
OGUTU: -- to access financing to alleviate debt distress and to tackle climate change.
What is your commitment on this?
BIDEN: We made a major commitment to this, number one. We've said the United States has long championed international financial institutions that provide low-cost concessional resources versus to the poorest developing countries, including from the IMF.
To that end, my administration helped design, establish the IMF's new initiative that provides low-cost funding for countries that are taking steps to enhance the resilience.
Important partners in Africa have the capital, Leinz, has their capital. They need to invest in their futures. We heard them and we stand with them.
Now that's why we've worked with Congress to enable the United States to make available, in the coming weeks, up to $21 billion in new lending resources to the IMF trust fund that provides concessional lending to the poorest countries.
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It's a little like, you know, having to go -- when you're in debt, having to go and find someone to help you out. That's what this is about. We believe supported friends and in this partnership is happy -- we're happy to do our part.
