Joe Biden stated that the United States would not provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, as Kiev expands its list of weapons needed to better drive Russian forces out of occupied territory.
Fighting continued at key points along the long front as Russian forces sought to expand their hold on territory in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
The Kremlin-appointed Donetsk leader, Denis Pushilin, claimed Russian forces were advancing near Vugledar, a strategically valuable town southwest of Donetsk city.
"Now we can say that units have established positions in the eastern part of Vugledar, and work is also being carried out in the vicinity," Pushilin said, according to Russian news agencies.
But Kyiv rejected the claim, while conceding that the fighting there was tough.
"The enemy doesn't count its people and, despite numerous casualties, maintains a high intensity of attacks," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Sunday.
At the White House, Biden said he was opposed to supplying American fighter jets to Ukraine.
"No," he said when reporters at the White House asked if he supported sending F-16s or other aircraft now that the United States, Germany, and other countries have agreed to supplement Ukraine's arsenal with heavy battle tanks.
However, European leaders have stated that they are open to the idea, despite the fact that Ukraine has not formally requested advanced fighter aircraft from its allies for the war.
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