US President Joe Biden met with his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani on Friday at the White House to mark the first in-person interaction of the two leaders since Biden took office in January earlier this year. Afghanistan’s former Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah accompanied the two leaders at the White House.

The meeting gained significant importance as the United States has vowed to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan and end their decades-long presence in the country. The troop withdrawal, which is scheduled for September 11, 2021, has led to new spirals emerging in the political sphere of Aghanistan in a power-grab tussle between the government and Taliban. 

Biden clarified to the two officials that even though the United States would provide the necessary support to the country, the final fate of Afghanistan would be in its own hands.

He said, “Afghans are going to have to decide their future, what they — what they want. But, it won’t be for lack of us being a help.”

He added, “we’re gonna stick with you. And we’re gonna do our best to see to it you have the tools you need” without explicitly mentioning the perceived threat from the Taliban.

After the meeting, the White House released a statement announcing that the United States would also extend its partnership with Afghanistan and will be delivering three million doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.