“I cannot make any definite promise,“ Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says. | AP Photo Duterte won't commit to Trump's White House invitation

Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine president accused of human rights abuses including thousands of extrajudicial killings in his war against drugs, has not accepted President Donald Trump’s controversial invitation to visit the White House, he told reporters Monday.

Trump is facing criticism for inviting Duterte, who is widely regarded as an authoritarian, in what the White House described as a “friendly” call between the two leaders this past weekend. Human rights advocates argue that hosting Duterte at the White House would be condoning his violent drug crackdown.


Trump defended extending the invitation in an interview Monday with Bloomberg News, saying that "the Philippines is very important to me strategically and militarily."

The Associated Press, meanwhile, reported that Duterte said he would not commit to taking up Trump’s invitation because he is already slated to travel to Israel and Russia, as well as other countries.

“I’m tied up,” he said, according to the AP. “I cannot make any definite promise.”

Robespierre Bolivar, the Philippine foreign ministry spokesman, said Duterte would accept a formal letter of invitation, according to Reuters.

Trump told Bloomberg on Monday that there shouldn't be a problem with Duterte coming to the White House.

“I look forward to meeting him," Trump said. "If he comes to the White House that’s fine.”

Trump also acknowledged that Duterte has been "very, very tough on that drug problem," but said the leader "has a massive drug problem" and reiterated his support of him by commenting on his popularity in the country.

"You know he’s very popular in the Philippines,” Trump said. “He has a very high approval rating in the Philippines.”

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Critics of the Duterte call say they are more broadly alarmed by Trump’s apparent willingness to embrace foreign authoritarians.

In April, Trump hosted Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the military ruler of Egypt often described as a dictator, in the White House; he also called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to congratulate him on the contested results of a referendum that consolidated his powers in a way experts say undermines the country’s democratic institutions.

Trump’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, also defended Trump’s invitation to Duterte in an interview with ABC on Sunday, describing such a meeting as necessary to work together to address North Korea.

“It doesn't mean that human rights don't matter, but what it does mean is that the issues facing us developing out of North Korea are so serious that we need cooperation at some level with as many partners in the area as we can get to make sure we have our ducks in a row,” Priebus said.