Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the creation of a coalition of countries that would provide Kiev with fighter jets with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th May, 2023) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the creation of a coalition of countries that would provide Kiev with fighter jets with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday.
"We want to create this jets coalition, and I am 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," Zelenskyy said during the meeting at the British leader's Chequers country residence as part of his European tour aimed at securing new weapons supplies.
Sunak, in turn, said that London would be a "key part" of the coalition, whose purpose would be to enhance Ukraine's "fighter aircraft capability"� by providing not only the jets but also the training of pilots and all related logistics.
The UK government said earlier in the day that the basic training of Ukrainian pilots would start in summer together with UK efforts to work with other countries to secure F-16 jets for Ukraine.
Last week, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed that London was donating Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles to Kiev. The minister dodged giving a straightforward answer to a question whether there are any restrictions on the use of the missiles by Kiev by saying that he will not "talk in public" about possible limitations, as this is very sensitive information.�
Western countries, including the United Kingdom, ramped up their military support for Ukraine after the beginning of Russia's special operation. Moscow has repeatedly warned against such supplies as they would prolong and escalate the conflict.
