US president Joe Biden on Wednesday said that it will be ‘tough’ for the U.S. to meet a May 1 deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

"Could happen, but it is tough," Biden said when asked in a TV interview broadcast Wednesday. "I'm in the process of making that decision now as to when they'll leave."

With only six weeks remaining in the deadline, the president said that he was consulting with allies on the pace of the drawdown.

Like his predecessor, Biden has promised to end the nearly 20-year conflict and bring home more than 2,500 American troops in the country — down from about 13,000 troops a year ago.

“That was not a very solidly negotiated deal that the president, the former president worked out,” said Biden as quoted by AP. “We’re in consultation with our allies as well as the government, and that decision is in process now.”

The United States is supposed to complete a withdrawal of all its troops by May 1 in an agreement that also saw the Taliban insurgents agree to peace talks with the administration of President Abdul Ghani.

But those talks – held in Qatar since September – have made little progress.