Sunak vows to help Zelensky build ‘jets coalition’ – but without British warplanes

Ukrainian president spoke to the PM about his desire for American F-16s used by other Nato members

Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Rishi Sunak to help him to create a “jets coalition” to supply Western warplanes for Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion, after dropping his plea for British fighter planes.

No 10 pledged to work with other Western allies on securing the planes the Ukrainian president wants, and announced a new flying school to help train his country’s pilots in Britain – but made clear that the UK has no plans to supply British jets to Ukraine.

When Mr Zelensky visited parliament in February, he pleaded with the UK and other nations for jets – presenting Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle with a pilot’s helmet as he called for “wings for freedom”.

But after talks between Mr Sunak and Mr Zelensky, it emerged that Ukraine has opted to seek the American F-16 jets used by many Nato members – but not the UK – as it tries to shift away from Soviet-era planes towards modern military equipment.

“The Ukrainian government has made the decision to train their pilots on F-16 jets; that’s a decision for them,” said Mr Sunak’s spokesperson. “I believe they are in discussions with other countries who use those jets, and we are working with those countries.”

Following two hours of negotiations with the PM at Chequers, Mr Zelensky said: “We want to create this jets coalition, and I’m very positive with it. We spoke about it, and I see that in the closest time, you will hear some, I think, very important decisions – but we have to work a little bit more on it.”

No 10 said that training for Ukrainian pilots in skills they can apply to different kinds of aircraft would begin this summer, alongside British diplomatic efforts to work with other countries on providing F-16s.

In addition, the UK will provide Ukraine with hundreds of air defence missiles and further unmanned aerial systems, also known as drones, Downing Street announced.

Mr Sunak said after the meeting that the UK would remain a “key part” of the coalition of countries that provides arms to Ukraine, but made clear that there was little prospect of British jets being supplied.

“It is not a straightforward thing, as Volodymyr and I have been discussing, to build up that fighter combat aircraft capability,” said the PM. “It’s not just the provision of planes, it is also the training of pilots and all the logistics that go alongside that, and the UK can play a big part in that.”

Rishi Sunak with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at Chequers (PA)

The Sunak government was under pressure from supporters of Mr Zelensky – including former prime minister Boris Johnson – to hand over British Typhoon jets. But government and military officials have questioned how suitable these aircraft would be, given the length of training required to fly them and the logistical support needed on the ground.

Last week, the UK confirmed it would supply Ukraine with the long-range Storm Shadow missiles Kyiv has requested for its fight against the invading Russian forces.

Mr Zelensky’s visit, which comes days after Liverpool hosted the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine, began with Mr Sunak greeting Mr Zelensky with a hug after he landed in the grounds of the prime minister’s country residence just after 9.15am.

Ahead of talks in the Hawtrey Room, where Winston Churchill made some of his most famous speeches, Mr Sunak compared the Ukrainian president to Britain’s Second World War leader. “In the same way today, your leadership, your country’s bravery and fortitude are an inspiration to us all,” he said.

Rishi Sunak speaks with Volodymyr Zelensky at Chequers (PA)

At the start of the meeting, Mr Zelensky thanked the UK government, the King and the British people for their support. “We are thankful from all our hearts... from Ukrainians, from our soldiers, we are thankful,” he said.

The Kremlin criticised the latest announcement of military aid for Ukraine, but claimed that the weapons would make little difference on the battlefield.

“Britain aspires to be at the forefront among countries that continue to pump weapons into Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said – but he dismissed the idea that it would “yield any drastic and fundamental influence”.

The Russian embassy in the UK claimed that the long-range weapons would be used to “sow death, destruction and terror among the civilian population” in areas of Ukraine under the Kremlin’s control.

No 10 said the PM would use his meetings with world leaders at the Council of Europe and G7 summits next week to stress the importance of sustaining global support for Ukraine.

Mr Sunak said it was a “crucial moment” and that Ukraine needs the “sustained support of the international community to defend against the barrage of unrelenting and indiscriminate attacks”.

He added: “We must not let them down ... And this message of solidarity will ring loud in all my meetings with fellow world leaders in the days ahead.”

Germany announced around £2.4bn of military aid to Ukraine on Sunday, its biggest such package yet, and pledged further support for Kyiv for as long as necessary, after Mr Zelensky made his first visit to the country since Russia’s invasion.