US President Joe Biden on Monday said that Washington would not provide F-16 jets to Ukraine, as Kyiv expands the list of weaponry it needs to be better able to drive Russian forces from occupied territories.
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 leader of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, claimed Russian forces were advancing near Vugledar, a strategically valuable town southwest of Donetsk.
Photo: Bloomberg
“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.
Kyiv rejected the claim, while conceding that the fighting there was tough.
“There are constant attempts to break through our defense,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said late on Sunday. “The enemy ... maintains a high intensity of attack.”
Last week, Western nations including the US and Germany approved the delivery of heavy battle tanks to Ukraine. The move is a departure from a previous position that tanks were considered a step too far in their support for Ukraine and could risk a widening backlash from Russia.
However, Biden on Monday appeared to draw the line on supplying US fighter jets to Ukraine.
“No,” he said when asked by reporters at the White House if he was in favor of sending F-16s or others.
However, European leaders said they were open to the idea, even if Ukraine has not yet formally requested advanced fighter aircraft from its allies. Analysts believe both Ukraine and Russia are gearing up for significant offensive movements in the coming months and Western aircraft could increase Kyiv’s strength, with its own air force significantly depleted by 11 months of war.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said that he would not rule out giving fighter aircraft to Ukraine, but warned against the risk of escalation in the conflict.
Macron had talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who has already floated the idea of sending Dutch F-16s to Ukraine.
“Nothing is excluded in principle,” Macron said.
Any arms delivery “must not weaken the capacity of the French armed forces,” he said, adding that France would have to be confident that the weapons would not be used to strike inside Russia, which could escalate the war.
“There is no taboo, but it would be a big step,” Rutte said.
With Ukraine’s supplies of artillery munitions heavily depleted, France and Australia on Monday announced a deal to jointly produce 155mm shells for Kyiv’s forces.
“Several thousand 155mm shells will be manufactured jointly,” French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu said.
“There are some unique capabilities that exist in Australia and some synergies that can be achieved by Australia and France working together,” Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
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