Rishi Sunak has insisted that "nothing is off the table” when it comes to the question of providing fighter jets to Ukraine. Speaking during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday (February 8), the Prime Minister said that sending warplanes was “part of the conversation” between the pair.
His comment came after Downing Street confirmed Mr Sunak had asked Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to investigate what jets the UK could potentially give to Ukraine in its struggle against invading Russian forces. Even before Mr Zelensky stepped foot on British soil, No 10 had announced that the UK would start training Ukrainian air force pilots as part of a long-term strategy to safeguard Kyiv’s future.
It represented a change in approach, with Downing Street previously arguing it would take too long to train pilots to fly Western fighter planes to have an impact on the war in eastern Europe.
The Prime Minister told reporters during a press briefing at a Dorset military base: “When it comes to fighter combat aircraft, of course they are part of the conversation — indeed, we have been discussing that today and have been previously. That’s why we have announced today that we will be training Ukrainian air force on Nato-standard platforms, because the first step in being able to provide advanced aircrafts is to have soldiers or aviators who are capable of using them.
“That is a process that takes some time. We’ve started that process today, that’s because we are keen to support the president and his country in delivering a victory. And nothing is off the table and our leadership on this issue is something we all collectively should be very proud of.”
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Mr Sunak and Mr Zelensky both appeared to suggest that the training of pilots was not the only hurdle to supplying Kyiv with planes. Mr Zelensky said that, when it came to being supplied with Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter planes, “not everything depends just on the decision of Great Britain”.
His comment followed a hint from Mr Sunak that international allies involved in producing the planes would need to have a say. Mr Sunak said part of his talks with Mr Zelensky included looking at the “supply chain” involved with the UK’s fighter jets, suggesting other countries might have to sign off on a British decision to supply them to Kyiv.
During the debate over sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, countries willing to provide them had to wait for Berlin’s approval as they are supplied under a German licence. The Prime Minister said some UK aircraft had been “done through joint treaty with multiple other countries”, adding: “We have other allies involved in the provision of those bits of equipment.”
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Mr Zelensky, who travelled to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron after the press conference, said he would be speaking to other European leaders about the issue of supplying his air force. Without jets, there was a risk of “stagnation” in the conflict with Russia, he warned.
Boris Johnson, who was prime minister at the outbreak of the conflict and a close ally of Mr Zelensky, urged the UK to give Ukraine the “tools to finish the job” of defeating the Kremlin’s troops. "The faster we do it, the bigger the saving in life,” he told LBC.
The Russian Embassy in London warned the UK against supplying warplanes, saying Britain would bear responsibility “for another twist of escalation and the ensuing military-political consequences for the European continent and the entire world”.
The decision to train pilots is part of a two-pronged strategy, offering military kit now to fend off a Russian spring offensive while also preparing Ukraine’s forces for the longer term. The current training is expected to allow Challenger 2 tanks to make a “difference on the battlefields” of Ukraine next month, according to the Prime Minister.
Mr Sunak has also offered longer-range firepower to help counter Russia’s ability to strike at Ukraine’s towns and energy facilities.
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