“Give us wings”: Zelensky calls on UK to provide fighter jets

During his visit to the UK, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had a meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, where they spoke about defense cooperation and also gave a historic address to both houses of the British parliament. 

"Every air force pilot in Ukraine is a king — for us, of course — since there are few of them and they are valuable to us," he told MPs at Westminster Hall. "I consider this a symbol of our new coalition, a coalition of jets. We need combat planes, and planes are the wings of freedom. You and we have already fought against evil. We have experience of victories against such evil."

The President of Ukraine also handed the Ukrainian pilot's helmet to the Speaker of the Parliament. "I am proud of our air force, and I brought a gift to Great Britain… It says, 'We have freedom, give us wings to protect it,'" Zelensky commented.

In a speech, the Ukrainian President praised the "bravery" of the British people and politicians who helped his country.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your bravery," he said. "London has stood with Kyiv since day one, from the first seconds and minutes of the full-scale war."

Zelensky also expressed his gratitude to former prime minister Boris Johnson, who, he said, "got others united when it seemed absolutely, absolutely impossible."

Earlier, he was a guest at the British prime minister's residence, where he had talks with Rishi Sunak. There Zelensky informed the Prime Minister of Great Britain about the situation at the front line and spoke about the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in weapons and military equipment. "It is important for Ukraine to receive the necessary weapons from our allies to stop the Russian offensive and liberate all temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories," the President said.

The Ukrainian leader thanked the British Prime Minister for the substantial and very important support and assistance to the country during the russian aggression.

"I am grateful to the British people and separately to Rishi Sunak for the efforts to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities, for the humanitarian and financial assistance provided after the start of full-scale aggression, and for supporting Ukrainians who were forced to flee their homes because of the russian war," Zelensky emphasized.

Earlier, Sunak met Zelensky at Stansted Airport upon arrival. The British media noted this was an unusual step for the British prime minister. Usually, leaders are met by representatives of the government office.

As Rubryka reported, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to announce an expanded training program for Ukrainian troops and the delivery of long-range weapons to Kyiv.