Senior military and security figures say it is “unlikely” that British fighter jets will be sent to Ukraine, as president Volodymyr Zelensky continues his tour of Europe.
Mr Zelensky started his surprise trip in London on Wednesday with a rousing speech to parliament urging the UK and allies to provide “wings for freedom”.
Despite Rishi Sunak saying nothing was “off the table”, former national security adviser Peter Ricketts warned: “It’s not going to work” because the RAF jets need “very specialized ground crews”.
The EU parliament gave Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky a long standing ovation before he spoke to the assembly on Thursday – cheering and applauding him, some of them wearing the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flags in ribbons clipped to their jackets.
Mr Zelensky thanked MEPs for the help Ukraine has been receiving to defend itself against the Russian invasion, having won promises of Western battle tanks in recent weeks.
He also said that he believed his country would join the European Union after emerging victorious from its war with Russia.
