‘No magic wand’ to help Ukraine prevail

PORTSMOUTH: British defence minister Ben Wallace said there was ‘‘no magic wand’’ that could help Ukraine in its battle against Russia, when asked yesterday about the possibility of supplying British fighter jets to Kyiv.

Wallace did not rule out the possibility of sending jets but said fighter aircraft were not what Ukraine needed right now and that there were practical issues to consider, such as the many months it would take to train Ukrainian forces to use them.

‘‘There is no magic wand in this horrendous conflict,’’ Wallace said in Portsmouth in southern England, home to a naval base.

He was speaking at a news conference of British and Australian foreign and defence ministers following a meeting on trade and security.

After Ukraine last month secured a hardwon commitment from Western states to provide battle tanks against Russia’s invasion, attention has shifted to whether Britain, the United States and other allies will consider Kyiv’s requests for fighter aircraft.

The US has ruled out sending jets.

Wallace’s reply was not as clear cut, but he said what Ukraine needed now was for ground forces to be strengthened, likening Russian tactics to human wave attacks from

World War 1, when densely concentrated infantry overran defending forces.

‘‘What the Ukrainians need is the ability to form military formations on the ground in order to use combined arms manoeuvre to push back Russian forces,’’ he said.

‘‘Because that is how you defeat the human wave attacks that the Russians are currently having to resort to . . . They’re resorting to First World Warlevel type of attacks, with subsequent casualties to match.’’

Separately, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Britain was ‘‘always talking’’ to Ukraine about the support it needs.

‘‘Our desire and goal is for Ukraine to win this conflict,’’ he said.

‘‘So, it’s not just the equipment, it’s also the capabilities and training that come alongside that, together with a plan with our allies that would ensure that they can be victorious.’’

Earlier, Sunak’s spokesman said the quickest a pilot could learn to fly a British fighter jet was 35 months.

‘‘The current UK fast jet training programme takes five years,’’ he said.

European Union leaders were due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv today, bringing the promise of new sanctions against Russia but likely dashing Ukraine’s hope for swift EU membership.

The head of the group’s executive commission, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in Kyiv by train yesterday, a symbolic journey to demonstrate support for Ukraine as the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of its neighbour approaches.

Senior members of the EU’s executive met their counterparts in the Ukrainian Government, and von der Leyen and the chairman of the 27 EU national leaders, Charles Michel, will convene talks with Zelenskiy today.

Zelenskiy called for more punitive measures against Russia by the European Union, but new sanctions the bloc is preparing for the anniversary are set to fall short of his government’s demands.

‘‘We reached a very important mutual understanding,’’ Zelenskiy said of yesterday’s talks.

‘‘That only together — a strong Ukraine and a strong European Union — can we defend the life that we value, and through our further integration, provide energy and motivation for our people to fight on regardless of obstacles and threats.’’

While the EU backs Ukraine and supports democratic and economic reforms there, it declines to offer a fast track to membership while Ukraine is at war. — Reuters