President Biden said on Thursday that the decision to let Kenya lead a security mission in Haiti without U.S. troops on the ground was intended to end the tense history of American intervention in the deeply troubled country.

Biden said the U.S. would provide money, logistical support and equipment to help Kenya and other countries contain gang violence that erupted after the assassination of the country’s president in 2021. However, when asked why American troops would not get involved, Biden pointed to previous U.S. interventions there.

“We have come to the conclusion that stationing United States troops in this hemisphere raises all kinds of issues that can easily be misrepresented by what we are trying to do,” he said during a White House press conference with Kenyan President William Ruto.

“We are in a situation where we want to do everything we can without giving the impression that America is once again taking a step back and deciding that this needs to be done,” he added.

The history of American involvement in Haiti is a difficult one. It includes a decades-long occupation from 1915 to 1934 that left deep resentment among the island’s population. In 1994, American troops landed in Haiti again after a military coup, a mission that embittered Haitians even more.

The issue is also sensitive in Kenya, where some criticised Ruto for paying too much attention to a crisis abroad while problems persist at home. At the press conference, Ruto dismissed a question from a Kenyan reporter on the issue.

“We have made tremendous progress in ensuring security at home,” Ruto said, “but that does not absolve us of our responsibilities” abroad.

The comments on the Haiti mission came as Biden said he would designate Kenya as a “major non-NATO ally,” a move that reflects the president’s determination to deepen ties with the East African country even as other countries – including Russia and China – vie to do the same.

Mr Biden, who hosted Mr Ruto for a state dinner later on Thursday, said relations between the two countries would enable them to address issues of health, security, technology and debt.

“Taken together, these are responsibilities that Kenya and America must meet in the years to come – together, as partners,” Biden said, “for prosperity, for innovation and, most importantly, for democracy.”

The designation of “major non-NATO ally” is given to countries whose military forces have strategic working relationships with the United States, although these are not necessarily mutual defense pacts. Kenya would be the first sub-Saharan country to receive this designation.

This diplomatic move and the day-long celebration marking 60 years of US-Kenya relations are intended to underscore Biden’s commitment to Africa, even though he has not fulfilled his promise to travel to the continent in person by the end of this year.

Welcoming Mr Ruto upon his arrival in Washington on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Biden told the Kenyan president he intended to visit the continent “in February, after I am re-elected.” For months, Mr Biden’s advisers had dodged questions about whether he would travel to Africa in a busy election year.

Discussions about Haiti were at the heart of the closed meetings between Biden and Mr Ruto.

Mr Ruto has been criticised in his own country for his actions against judges, which some have described as authoritarian. And he has welcomed the efforts of the leaders of Iran, Russia and China – American adversaries whose military, political and economic interests often clash with those of Washington.

Mr Ruto has dismissed such criticism, saying it made sense to have ties with many countries where there are shared interests. Jake Sullivan, the president’s national security adviser, told reporters on Wednesday that Mr Biden does not shy away from criticising countries for their human rights or civil society records.

However, he was not here to lecture President Ruto, Mr Sullivan added. “In fact, President Ruto was just in Atlanta to talk about these issues. And we will invest in Kenya’s democratic institutions, in its civil society and in all areas of Kenyan life to ensure that the foundations of Kenyan democracy remain strong.”

The day Ruto spent at the White House was the first state visit by an African head of state since 2008, and was to be marked by both official meetings and all the pomp and circumstance that presidents reserve for their closest allies.

Guests can enjoy traditional tomato soup, butter-poached lobster, fruitwood-smoked ribs and a white chocolate basket. A centerpiece made of 15,000 metal strips hangs above guests to reflect candlelight in the State Dining Room. Musical guests include the Howard Gospel Choir and country singer Brad Paisley.

But the main purpose of the visit for Mr Biden is to show that he remains committed to building connections between the United States and African businesses and governments.

Biden and Ruto held a roundtable discussion with leaders to underscore Kenya’s desire to expand its role as a technology and trade hub in East Africa. The country is already home to $1 billion in start-ups and is nicknamed “Silicon Savanna” after its grasslands.

Executives included Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, Ursula Burns, Chair of Teneo, and Kamau Gachigi, CEO of Gearbox.