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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 navy assist to Ukraine, amid reviews that Kyiv could also be stepping up its long-planned counteroffensive in opposition to Russian forces.
One of many principal 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 Could, and after months of resisting mounting strain 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 stated that “nothing was off the desk” when it got here to contemplating navy assist 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 assist to Kyiv, regardless of softening home assist for the struggle 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 in opposition to 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, advised 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 completed all it may to offer assist to get Kyiv prepared.
“The president is assured that we did every little thing we may over the previous six, eight months or extra to guarantee that they’d all of the tools, coaching or capabilities,” Mr. Kirby stated.
On Monday, the timeline for supply of F-16s nonetheless remained unclear. Mr. Biden has referred to as it “extremely unlikely” that the F-16s could be a part of the counteroffensive that Ukraine deliberate over the previous a number of months.