WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden hosted Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark at the White House on Monday to discuss security initiatives, including providing military support to Ukraine, amid reports that the country may be stepping up its long-planned counter-offensive against Russian forces.
One of the main discussion topics between Mr Biden and Ms Frederiksen, according to the White House, involved Ukraine’s demand for US-made F-16 warplanes.
In late May, and after months of resisting mounting pressure to provide the planes out of fear they could be used to hit Russian territory, Mr Biden agreed to allow for pilots to be trained to operate the aircraft and for allied countries to supply them.
Denmark is one of several countries whose leaders have signalled that they would be open to either transfer F-16s from their own stockpiles or provide pilot training.
Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway have also indicated that they would be willing to help.
On Thursday, Mr Biden will host Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain, another key North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) ally who has been vocal about the need to arm Ukraine.
In February, Mr Sunak said that “nothing was off the table” when it came to considering military aid for Ukraine.
For the past 16 months, Mr Biden has helped keep key Western allies of the United States in agreement over the need to provide aid to Ukraine, despite softening domestic support for the war and amid conflicting opinions among other leaders about how best to arm the country.
Now, as Ukrainian soldiers step up their artillery strikes and ground assaults against Russia’s front lines, the West again finds itself at a pivotal point in which allies will need to move forward in lock step.
Mr John F. Kirby, a White House spokesman, told reporters on Monday that he could not say whether the Ukrainian counter-offensive had officially started, but he added that the Biden administration had done all it could to provide support to get Ukraine ready.
On Monday, the timeline for delivery of F-16s still remained unclear. Mr Biden has called it “highly unlikely” that the F-16s would be part of the counter-offensive that Ukraine planned over the past several months. NYTIMES
