UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under increasing pressure from his immediate predecessors Liz Truss and Boris Johnson to send fighter jets to Ukraine.
Sunak’s government has so far not committed to providing Ukraine with British jets, arguing that it takes too long for pilots to train on the Royal Air Forces’ F-35 and Typhoon jets.
During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to London earlier this month, Sunak announced plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly NATO-standard advanced fighter jets, and Downing Street said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is “actively looking at whether we send jets.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outside 10 Downing Street, London, on Feb. 8, 2023. (Victoria Jones/PA Media)
However, last week, Wallace claimed it could be years before the UK gives any planes to Ukraine, suggesting Zelenskyy may even have to wait until the war with Russia is over….