Ukraine counteroffensive against Russia 'making advances,' NATO leader says

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President Biden met with the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing counteroffensive in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a Norwegian politician, expressed optimism in Ukraine's push to repel invading Russian forces, saying the more land resistance fighters claim, the stronger their negotiating position will become.

"European allies and Canada are also doing their part with tens of billions in military and economic support for Ukraine and the support that we are providing together to Ukraine is now making a difference on the battlefield as we speak," Stoltenberg said to Biden.

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US President Joe Biden, right, meets Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, June 13, 2023.  (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He continued, "Because the offensive is launched and the Ukrainians are making progress, making advances. It's still early days, but what we do know is that the more land Ukrainians are able to liberate, the, the, the stronger hand they will have at the negotiating table."

The president remarked early in the conversation that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin underestimated the cohesion of NATO allies — pointing to the alliance's recent addition of Finland as an example.

"I think I said to you, I know I said to others, that Putin is making a mistake. He was looking for the Finland-ization of NATO. He got the NATO-ization of Finland, and hopefully Sweden very shortly. And your friendship and leadership has meant a great deal," Biden told Stoltenberg.

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President Biden meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 13, 2023.  (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Stoltenberg expressed concern that if Putin were to succeed in taking control of Ukraine, it would give encouragement to other authoritarian leaders to make similar land grabs that would threaten NATO security.

"President Putin must not win this war because that will not only be a tragedy for Ukrainians, but also make the world more dangerous," the secretary general said. 

He continued, "It will send the message to authoritarian leaders all over the world — also in China — that when they use military force, they get what they want. And we will then become more vulnerable."

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President Biden meets with Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg in the Oval Office of the White House on June 13, 2023, in Washington, D.C.  (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The meeting was originally intended to take place Monday, but Biden was forced to reschedule to Tuesday due to a root canal procedure on Sunday that left lingering pain.

The dental procedure forced the White House to let Vice President Kamala Harris sub in for Biden at the White House's College Athlete Day for NCAA championship athletes Monday morning.

The presidential dental team from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center performed the examination at the White House on Sunday, which included X-rays, according to Kevin O'Connor, Biden's physician. The team then determined a root canal was the best course of action.

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"President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency, to include those as chief executive, head of state and commander in chief," O’Connor wrote in the physical summary.