Volodymyr Zelensky had a gentle dig at Rishi Sunak tonight after the PM told a joint press conference it will take years to train Ukraine pilots for Nato fighter jets.
After touring a training base for troops in Dorset with Mr Zelensky on his first visit to the UK since the invasion, the PM said the West must ‘arm Ukraine in the short term’ and ‘bolster’ it in the long-term.
Pushed on providing jets, he said ‘nothing is off the table’ and stressed that Britain is now going to start preparing the Ukrainian air force.
But he cautioned that ‘first step’ will take ‘some time’. ‘Throughout this conflict we have been out in front,’ he said denying there was any ‘reticence’. He said it was important Ukraine pilots can ‘actually operate the aircraft that they will be using’.
For his part Mr Zelensky said the discussions had been ‘fruitful’ and voiced gratitude. But he said the war could ‘stagnate’ if jets are not forthcoming from the West. ‘Come on, we will be sending you pilots who’ve already trained for two and a half years,’ he joked.
The exchange came after Boris Johnson urged the UK to offer all its fighter jets and tanks to Ukraine, saying countering Russian aggression was the ‘best use’ for the UK’s 100 Typhoon jets and similar stocks of Challenger tanks.
Moscow has threatened a ‘response’ if the government does supply planes, with some Nato states concerned about provoking a direct clash.
Earlier, the Ukrainian President was given a rapturous reception when he gave a speech to MPs and Peers n Westminster Hall.
Watched by Rishi Sunak, and with Mr Johnson in the audience, Mr Zelensky insisted that more help will be needed to defeat the Russian aggressors. He presented Speaker Lindsay Hoyle with a helmet signed by one of Kyiv’s top pilots and appealed for the UK to supply ‘powerful’ aircraft – after Mr Sunak announced that Britain will train forces in how to fly them.
The message on the helmet read: ‘We have freedom, give us wings to protect it.’
Amid splits within Nato on how far to go in suppling air power, Mr Zelensky added: ‘Combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom.’
Read More: ‘We’ll send you pilots who’ve already done 2.5 years
