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President Biden hosted Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark on the White Home on Monday to debate safety initiatives, together with offering army help to Ukraine, amid experiences that Kyiv could also be stepping up its long-planned counteroffensive towards Russian forces.
One of many predominant dialogue subjects between Mr. Biden and Ms. Frederiksen, in response to the White Home, concerned Ukraine’s demand for American-made F-16 warplanes. In late Might, and after months of resisting mounting stress to offer the planes out of worry they could possibly be used to hit Russian territory, Mr. Biden agreed to permit for pilots to be skilled to function the plane and for allied nations to provide them.
Denmark is one in every of a number of nations whose leaders have signaled that they’d be open to both switch F-16s from their very own stockpiles or present pilot coaching. Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway have additionally indicated that they’d be prepared to assist.
On Thursday, Mr. Biden will host Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain, one other key NATO ally who has been vocal about the necessity to arm Kyiv. In February, Mr. Sunak mentioned that “nothing was off the desk” when it got here to contemplating army help for Ukraine.
Why It Issues: Preventing has intensified as Ukraine heads to Russia’s entrance traces.
For the previous 16 months, Mr. Biden has helped preserve key Western allies of the US in settlement over the necessity to present help to Kyiv, regardless of softening home help for the battle and amid conflicting opinions amongst different leaders about how finest to arm Ukraine.
Now, as Ukrainian troopers step up their artillery strikes and floor assaults towards Russia’s entrance traces, the West once more finds itself at a pivotal level by which allies might want to transfer ahead in lock step.
John F. Kirby, a White Home spokesman, informed reporters on Monday that he couldn’t say whether or not the Ukrainian counteroffensive had formally began, however he added that the Biden administration had carried out all it might to offer help to get Kyiv prepared.
“The president is assured that we did every thing we might over the previous six, eight months or extra to be sure that they’d all of the tools, coaching or capabilities,” Mr. Kirby mentioned.
On Monday, the timeline for supply of F-16s nonetheless remained unclear. Mr. Biden has known as it “extremely unlikely” that the F-16s can be a part of the counteroffensive that Ukraine deliberate over the previous a number of months.
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