President Biden will travel to Los Angeles next week to host the Summit of the Americas even as it remains uncertain which countries will attend.
The summit, which typically takes place every few years, “will bring together governments from across our hemisphere to focus on pressing challenges, including economic prosperity, climate change, the migration crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic,” the White House said in a statement.
Vice President Harris, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will also attend on Tuesday, the White House said.
The Biden administration, which is organizing the summit, has yet to announce a formal guest list, but Latin American leaders have asked for every head of government in the Western Hemisphere to be included.
Some Latin American officials have taken issue with the United States’ expected exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the guest list. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Wednesday that he would not attend.
U.S. allies in the region, particularly Mexico, have reacted negatively to the impending exclusion of leaders who are either not signatories or have openly disdained the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has said he will attend and is expected to have a one-on-one meeting with Biden on the sidelines of the summit.