Great Britain, as part of the visit of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, will offer training for fighter pilots, marines and will offer to provide Ukraine with longer-range capabilities.
The British government informed about this on February 8.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will offer training for Ukrainian fighter pilots — "so that Ukraine can protect its skies in the future." London does not specify on which fighters the pilots will be trained. The Royal Air Force is armed with Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35 fighters, they do not have American F-16s. However, such training will allow Ukrainian pilots to fly modern NATO-standard fighters in the future.
Rishi Sunak will also suggest starting an immediate program to train Marines. This training will be an addition to the training program for new recruits, which already operates in Great Britain, within the framework of which 10 000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained in the last six months, and this year it is planned to improve the qualifications of another 20 000 Ukrainian soldiers.
The prime minister will also offer to provide Ukraine with longer-range weapons: "This will undermine Russiaʼs ability to constantly strike Ukraineʼs civilian and critical national infrastructure and help ease pressure on Ukraineʼs front line."
Overall, the UK will continue to work with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the international community to expand the program in 2023.
- On February 8, the second foreign visit of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will take place — to Britain (the first visit was to the USA on December 21, 2022 ). Zelensky will address parliaments and visit Ukrainian military personnel undergoing training in Britain.