Britain to review sending fighting jets to Ukraine
Фото: Пресс-служба президента Украины
Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak, asked Defense Minister Ben Wallace to study the issue of what jets could be potentially provided to Ukraine, according to Sky News.
"The prime minister instructed the defense minister to investigate what fighting jets we could provide, but to be clear, this is a long-term solution, not the short-term assistance that Ukraine needs most now," the prime minister's spokesman said.
According to him, London considers it correct to provide both the weapons needed now, such as Challenger tanks, additional guns, and long-range weapons that can help win the war, and looks at the medium and long-term perspectives to ensure Ukraine has every possible capability it requires.
Earlier, Sunak announced plans to train Ukrainian pilots, eventually paving the way for them to fly NATO-standard aircraft.
"Obviously, we want it to start as soon as possible. We're keen to do everything we can to train these pilots as quickly as possible. But these are complex pieces of military equipment. And as you know, the current training period for UK pilots is around five years.," said the spokesman.
For reference:
During his visit to the UK, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to speak on defense cooperation. Zelensky stressed the necessity of getting combat aircraft on the battlefield in Ukraine. Also, the President addressed both houses of the British parliament.
Read more: "Give us wings": Zelensky calls on UK to provide fighter jets.
