British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stressed on Thursday that it would take “months” or even “years” of pilot training to send fighter jets to Ukraine, stressing that he was looking for the most effective way to help Kyiv, writes AFP.
What matters is “what would matter the most,” Rishi Sunak said in an interview on TalkTV Thursday night, outlining his decision to provide Ukraine with 14 Challenger 2 tanks, which will be delivered by the end of March.
Subsequently, several other Western countries followed Britain’s example by supplying such vehicles.
“We are still in dialogue with our Ukrainian friends about the right way to help them,” Rishi Sunak said.
The thing to remember about fighter jets is that they are “incredibly complex equipment that requires months, if not years, of training,” he argued.
The issue is not just “equipment, but the capabilities and training associated with it, as well as the plan with our allies to make sure” that the Ukrainians come out “victorious,” he insisted.
Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace did not rule out Britain providing the plane.
“There is no magic wand in pilot training”
“Regarding the issue of planes, I was clear. If we’ve learned anything over the past year, it’s to not write anything in advance and not rule anything out,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Aukus partnership summit with Australia.
Kyiv demands American-made F-16s to repel the Ukrainian invasion.
The United States has said it is not currently considering giving them to Ukraine, but other countries, such as Poland, have been more open about it.
“I’m very open to considering any system, not just aircraft, to provide that kind of assistance to Ukraine,” Ben Wallace said.
“These things do not happen immediately. But I can say that we do not endanger Ukrainians,” he added.
Downing Street has already appeared at this stage to rule out sending fighter jets.
The Typhoon and F-35 jets are “extremely complex and it takes months to learn to fly them,” “we don’t think it’s appropriate to send these planes to Ukraine,” the prime minister’s spokesman said on Tuesday.
Training Ukrainian airmen “will take months,” said Ben Wallace, “there is no magic wand in this terrible conflict.”
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Source: Hot News
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