WATCH: Pentagon holds news briefing as Ukraine continues to prepare for counteroffensive

Politics

Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder held a news briefing on Monday as Ukraine continues to prepare for a counteroffensive against Russia.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr, on a whirlwind European tour, pressed Britain on Monday to join a "fighter jet coalition" in advance of a counteroffensive against Russian forces, instead securing a commitment of attack drones and hundreds more missiles.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greeted Zelenskyy with a handshake and hug after his helicopter landed at Chequers, the British leader's official country retreat. It's Zelenskyy's second trip to the U.K. since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

This is the fifth European country Zelenskky has visited in the past three days, after Italy, the Vatican, Germany and France. He is seeking more aid as Ukraine prepares a long-anticipated spring offensive to retake territory that Russia has seized.

The Kremlin reacted to the new weapons pledge "extremely negatively," but at the same time believed the supplies wouldn't drastically change the course of the war, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

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WATCH: Pentagon holds news briefing as Ukraine continues to prepare for counteroffensive first appeared on the PBS News website.

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