Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has not ruled out future fighter jet supply to Ukraine, as Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged allies to send them to help repel the Russian invasion.
Asked if he would rule it out in an interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV, the Prime Minister said: “No, we’re always in a dialogue with our Ukrainian friends about what the right way to support them is.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has refused to rule out supplying Ukraine with fighter jets, even though training to operate them could take months, if not years.
“The issue is what is the support that we can provide that we think will make the most difference? That’s why the decision I took as Prime Minister was to be one of the first countries in the world to provide heavy tanks to Ukraine. We were then followed by other countries,” said Prime Minister Sunak.
Fighter jets, he claims, are “incredibly sophisticated pieces of equipment that require months if not years for people to be trained on.”
“Our desire and goal is for Ukraine to win this conflict. So, it is not just the equipment, it is also the capabilities and training that come alongside that [fighter jets – ed.], and along with a plan with our allies that would ensure that they can be victorious,” the PM added.
According to reports, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson advocated arming Ukraine. In response to a question about the situation with the F-16 fighter jets in Washington, he stated his support for providing Ukraine with all the weapons it requires.
Earlier on Thursday, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace cautioned that supplying Ukraine with fighter jets would not be a “magic wand” in the war.
