Zelensky in UK: send us planes

“Nothing is off the table” and fighter jets for Ukraine remain “part of the conversation”, declared Rishi Sunak, after an impassioned plea for aircraft by Volodymyr Zelensky on a landmark trip to London.

While refusing to make any firm commitment, Number 10 has asked the Ministry of Defence to “investigate” the possibility of sending jets to Kyiv. 

Sunak hailed Zelensky’s UK visit – the first since Russia’s invasion last February – as a testament to the “unbreakable friendship between our two countries,” and rolled out Number 10’s red carpet.

The Ukrainian President met with the King after addressing MPs in a packed Westminster Hall, insisting Ukraine’s victory over Putin would show “the new reality of the free world.” 

The visit was a chance for Zelensky to thank Britain for supporting Kyiv’s war effort. But crucially, it was also to appeal for the British government to give the people of Ukraine “wings for freedom.” 

Zelensky acknowledged that the stakes of his trip are much higher than the last time he landed in London two years ago: “I thanked you for delicious English tea,” he told MPs. “I will be leaving Parliament today, thanking you all in advance for powerful English planes.”

Britain is only the third country the President has visited since the war began, after the US and Poland. This, alongside the slight to EU leaders that he chose to visit Sunak first, underscores the importance he places on Kyiv-London relations. 

But will Sunak accede to his powerful plea? 

So far, Kyiv’s allies have supplied it with a host of weapons and 300 tanks, but they have drawn the line at fighter jets, which is seen as one escalation too far.

That said, when it comes to supplying Ukraine with military aid, Zelensky has managed – several times – to convince Western countries to redefine their red lines. Air defence systems, armoured vehicles and tanks are all being supplied to Kyiv despite initial reluctance from allies. 

Sunak is a good target for Zelensky. He was the first leader to pledge to send tanks to Ukraine last month and he is also keenly aware of Boris Johnson’s immense popularity among Ukrainians. Johnson has come out in favour of sending aircraft to Ukraine, insisting Britain must give the country “all the tools they need” to win. Sunak wants to prove that Ukrainians won’t be getting second-tier support under his own premiership. 

Yet the PM is treading carefully. He has announced that the UK will become the first foreign country to train Ukrainian pilots so they can fly “NATO standard” fighter planes, without firmly agreeing to supply the planes. While Sunak has asked Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to investigate which planes the UK may be able to provide, he has stressed this is not a “short-term” solution.

However, for Ukraine’s determined leader, these concessions will only embolden him further to keep on pushing for “freedom wings.”

As Gerald Warner writes in Reaction, Ukrainians are preparing to counter a major Russian offensive in the East. And Zelensky believes aircraft could make all the difference. 

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