Joe Biden has said he stands by his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan despite the chaos seen after the Taliban took over the country.
The US President also said the mission of the United States in the country was never supposed to be nation building.
Thousands of civilians desperate to flee Afghanistan thronged Kabul airport's single runway on Monday after the Taliban seized the capital, prompting the United States to suspend evacuations as it came under mounting criticism at home.
He said he "stands squarely behind" the decision to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan, adding that the collapse of the administration "was quicker than anticipated".
Speaking from the White House, Biden said: "After 20 years, I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces. That's why we're still there.
"We were clear-eyed about the risks. We planned for every contingency.
"But I always promised the American people that I will be straight with you. The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.
"So what's happened? Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, some without trying to fight. If anything, the developments of the past week reinforced that ending US Military involvement in Afghanistan now was the right decision.
"American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves."
It comes as a further 200 UK troops are to be sent to Kabul to evacuate British citizens and local allies from Afghanistan as Dominic Raab said he would not rule out sanctions if the Taliban did not honour its commitments over human rights.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that more armed services personnel would be sent to Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control of Kabul.
It comes as Boris Johnson, in a phone call with French president Emmanuel Macron, outlined his intention to host a virtual meeting of G7 leaders on Afghanistan in the coming days to co-ordinate and international response.
There have been chaotic scenes at Kabul airport amid a desperate struggle to get UK nationals and selected Afghans out of the country.
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.
