British premier promised to address sending fighter aircraft at G7 meeting, but rules out sending fighters for now. Instead, London promised delivery of missiles and drones to Ukrainian defense.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski met on Monday (5/15) in London with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and was promised the delivery of long-range missiles and drones to bolster Ukrainian defense against Russian invaders.
The Ukrainian said he was confident that he could quickly secure an agreement to send fighter aircraft from Western partners to his country. He said he had talked with Sunak about the issue, and that he felt quite optimistic about the creation of a “coalition of fighter jets” for the war against Russia, and that a decision should be made in a short period of time.
NATO countries are hesitant to commit to delivering modern fighters to Ukraine. A British government spokesman said that the UK has no plans to send combat aircraft to Ukraine.
Sunak, on the other hand, said that his country will help Ukraine train fighter pilots as part of its aid package to Kiev. “We are ready to implement these plans in a relatively short time,” he assured.
He stressed that the talks with Zelenski took place within preparations for the meeting of the Council of European Leaders in Iceland – at which Zelenski will make a video address – and the summit of the G7 countries in Japan.
“Crucial moment for Ukrainian resistance”
Sunak assured that he will address the issue of air support with the other leaders at the two meetings. The Briton extolled his Ukrainian counterpart, saying that “his leadership and the bravery and fortitude of his country are an inspiration to us all.”
The Prime Minister’s office confirmed that the UK will send hundreds of long-range missile and drone systems capable of striking targets at distances of more than 200 kilometers in the coming months.
London has become one of Kiev’s main military allies, with the supply of large numbers of missiles and tanks and the training of 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers on British soil. Last week, the British sent Ukraine Storm Shadow cruise missiles with ranges of more than 250 kilometers, the kind of weaponry Kiev had long requested from allies.
“This is a crucial moment for Ukrainian resistance to a terrible war of aggression that they did not choose or provoke,” Sunak said. “They need continued support from the international community to defend themselves from the barrage of relentless, indiscriminate attacks that have become the daily reality of the war for more than a year. We cannot let them down.”
“It does not change the course of the war,” says kremlin
The Kremlin assesses as “extremely negative” the British promise to send more armaments to Kiev, but at the same time assures that it does not drastically change the course of the war. “The UK aspires to be the vanguard among the countries supplying Ukraine with weapons,” Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“We repeat that this will have no drastic or fundamental influence on how the special military operation unfolds,” he said, employing the phrase used by Russia to refer to its invasion of the neighboring country. “It will, however, lead to more destruction, more actions. It leaves this whole story much more complicated for Ukraine.”
Zelenski’s trip to London came amid the Ukrainian leader’s tour of some major European capitals. The move helped his country obtain new pledges of aid from Germany, Italy, and France ahead of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian troops, aimed at regaining territory seized by Russian forces.
In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said his country will send dozens of light tanks, armor, and anti-aircraft defense systems to Ukraine in the coming weeks. About 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers will receive training in France this year, and another 4,000 in Poland, as part of a broader European effort.
On Sunday, Zelenski met with German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz after the German government promised to send 2.7 billion euros in military aid, including tanks, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition.