Britain and Denmark are playing a central role in a new joint international plan, which Biden recently endorsed, after months of resisting calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to buy US fighter jets.
Biden’s separate meetings come with leaders of the two NATO allies. He will meet Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday and British leader Rishi Sunak on Thursday, at a crucial time in the 15-month-long war.
The meetings also come at a time when the United States and Europe seek to demonstrate the strength of the Western alliance in Moscow and solidify the West’s long-term commitment to Ukraine without the end of war is in sight.
“One of the things the president will discuss during the two meetings is Frederiksen Sunak’s perspective on Ukraine’s long-term security needs,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. American.
He added: “Leaders will also discuss the issue of supplying aircraft (F-16) to Ukraine.”
Denmark has purchased dozens of F-16s since the 1970s and has indicated a willingness to send some to Kyiv.
For its part, Britain has strongly called for the creation of an alliance to supply Ukraine with fighter jets, and says it will support Ukraine in obtaining the F-16s it wants. .
But London does not have these planes and has ruled out sending Royal Air Force fighters (Typhoon).
The British command said it would give Ukrainian pilots “basic training” in flying Western-standard aircraft in early summer to prepare them to fly the F-16s.
The Ukrainian pilots will then go to other countries for the next stages of training.
The F-16 fighter deal is part of recent US and European efforts to help Ukraine in the war.
Biden is also expected to discuss, with Frederiksen and Sunak, preparations for next month’s NATO summit in Lithuania, which comes amid growing pressure from Zelenskyy on the military alliance to provide concrete security guarantees to the country. Ukraine.
Biden is also expected to talk with Frederiksen and Sunak about his efforts to pressure NATO member Turkey to back down from its stance of blocking Sweden from joining the alliance.
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