Great Britain excludes the rapid supply of modern fighter jets to Ukraine — they will definitely not come at this stage of the war and not in six months.
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace told about this in an interview with the German publication Der Spiegel.
He added that this position is a “consensus among Western partners.” According to Wallace, modern aircraft such as the Eurofighter Typhoon can be delivered to Ukraine only after the war, because pilot training takes a long time.
“However, with our willingness to take this step at some point, we are once again signaling our determination to assist Ukraine as much as necessary,” Wallace said.
The minister also warned against excessive expectations from the recently adopted decision to supply tanks to Ukraine: “Of course, tanks will make Ukrainians stronger, but they are not a magic potion.”
- On February 13, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the Alliance can provide Ukraine with modern combat aircraft for self-defense. He also emphasized that Ukraine needs urgent assistance in armaments, as Russia seems to have already launched a large-scale offensive.
- At the end of January, Poland announced that it was ready to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in coordination with its NATO allies. Britain has already agreed to begin training Ukrainian fighter pilots, but there are no specifics regarding the provision of fighter jets.