‘Give us wings for freedom’
Prime Minister paves the way for jets to be sent to Ukraine after Zelensky pleads with Parliament on surprise visit to UK
RISHI SUNAK laid the groundwork for Britain to send fighter jets to Ukraine after an impassioned plea from Volodymyr Zelensky during a surprise visit.
The Prime Minister ordered the Ministry of Defence to look into how planes could be provided and said Ukrainian pilots would be trained in Britain.
The sudden openness to fulfil Ukraine’s request for Nato-standard aircraft came on a day which saw Mr Zelensky address MPS and peers in Westminster Hall before paying a visit to Buckingham Palace to see the King.
He was already in an RAF plane to Britain when news broke of yesterday’s visit, which had been planned in secret for weeks. Mr Sunak embraced Mr Zelensky at Stansted. The pair later flew by Chinook to a press conference at the military base where Ukrainian troops are being trained by British counterparts.
Mr Zelensky’s visit was only his second outside Ukraine since the war began. The other was to the United States.
Standing on the steps of Westminster Hall for his address to Parliamentarians, Mr Zelensky said: “I appeal to you and the world with simple and yet most important words: combat aircraft for Ukraine. Wings for freedom.”
He presented Parliament with the gift of a flight helmet from a Ukrainian fighter pilot, inscribed with the words: “We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.”
At Buckingham Palace, the King told him: “We are all worried about you and thinking of your nation.”
The call for jets was swiftly backed by Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, who said Ukraine should receive the “extra equipment it needs”.
Britain will train Ukrainian pilots on simulators that can be adapted for various aircraft, meaning they could end up using planes given by other Nato allies rather than the UK. Many of Ukraine’s allies possess the Us-made F-16.
Sending Britain’s Typhoon jets is complicated because they were co-built with Germany, Italy and Spain, meaning approval from those countries would be needed for deployment.
Downing Street said training a pilot on Typhoons takes three years, arguing that sending planes immediately would not help. But Mr Zelensky later quipped his pilots had already been in training for two-and-a-half years. The new willingness to consider planes is a marked change from even a few weeks ago. It echoes similar moves that eventually led to artillery and tanks being sent.
Today, Mr Zelensky is set to repeat his pleas for jets in an address to the European Parliament in Brussels. He also pressed the case during a stopover in Paris last night to meet President Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Speaking at the Elysée ahead of a dinner, Mr Macron said France would “continue the efforts” to deliver arms to Kyiv.
The Daily Telegraph has been told by an adviser to the Ukrainian president that Kyiv believes the decision to release Western jets will not be as protracted as that over tanks. “Things are now moving quicker than they were at the beginning of the war,” the adviser said, suggesting a decision could be reached at the next meeting of the Usled Ukraine Contact Group at the Ramstein air base in Germany on Tuesday.
Mr Sunak spelt out Britain’s openness to supplying jets at a joint press conference in Dorset, held after the pair visited Ukrainians training at Lulworth Camp. He said: “When it comes to fighter combat aircraft, of course they are part of the conversation – indeed, we have been discussing that today.
“That’s why we have announced today that we will be training the Ukrainian air force on Nato-standard platforms, because the first step in being able to provide advanced aircraft 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, and I know the president is grateful for.”
In the joint press conference, Mr Zelensky warned that there was a risk of “stagnation” in his country’s struggle against Russia if jets and other key weaponry were not sent. Kyiv and its allies are eager to arm Ukrainian fighters as much as is realistically possible before this spring, when a new Russian offensive in the country is expected.
The Russian Embassy in London warned that supplying warplanes would mean the UK would bear responsibility “for another twist of escalation and the ensuing military-political consequences for Europe and the entire world”. Vladimir Putin held a meeting with his powerful security council and his defence chiefs last night.
While Mr Sunak’s change in position on jets is notable, it remains unclear when or even whether that option will be taken. Downing Street was careful to make clear that the decision to deploy
‘I appeal to you and the world with simple and important words: combat aircraft for Ukraine’
jets has not been taken, with Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, reviewing the issue. The Prime Minister and his press team drew a distinction yesterday between weaponry that would help Ukraine in the immediate conflict and the long-term, the indication being jets fall in the latter category.
Mr Johnson weighed in publicly calling for the UK to send Ukraine planes. He said: “It is time to give the Ukrainians the extra equipment they need to defeat Putin and to restore peace to Ukraine. That means longer-range missiles and artillery. It means more tanks. It means planes.
“We have more than 100 Typhoon jets. We have more than 100 Challenger 2 tanks. The best single use for any of these items is to deploy them now for the protection of the Ukrainians, not least because that is how we guarantee our own long-term security.”
Mr Scholz warned yesterday that Berlin would not be drawn into a “public bidding war” over military support for Ukraine. Joe Biden, the US president, has already said that America will not provide F-16 jets to Ukraine.