US president is balancing the demands of a Middle East war and a presidential campaign expected to heat up in January.

US President Joe Biden will not attend a gathering of world leaders focused on climate change in Dubai this week, a US official said on Sunday.

The announcement comes after the New York Times reported that Biden would not attend.

Reuters reported last month that he US president was unlikely to be at the United Nations “Conference of the Parties” on climate, known as Cop28, which begins on Thursday, as he balances the demands of a Middle East war and a presidential campaign expected to heat up in January.

The president’s schedule for Thursday released by the White House shows him hosting a bilateral meeting with President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço of the Republic of Angola and attending the National Tree Lighting.

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