Joe Biden is sticking by his plan to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by the end of the month, defying international pressure from key European allies and others to allow more time for evacuations.

The US president’s decision caps days of uncertainty about the fate of the August 31 deadline for the final pullout of American military from Afghanistan. It comes amid growing concerns about the security situation around Kabul airport and the chaotic effort to evacuate thousands of foreign nationals and Afghans out of the country.

“The sooner we can finish, the better,” Biden said in remarks from the White House on Tuesday, more than five hours after he was originally scheduled to speak. “Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops.”