British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said it would not be practical to send jets to Ukraine because it would take months to learn to fly them…reports Asian Lite News
Britain has not made a “solid decision” not to send its fighter jets to Ukraine but does not think it is the right approach at the moment, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Wednesday.
“I’ve been involved with this for a pretty long time. And I’ve learned two things; never rule anything in and never rule anything out,” he told reporters when asked why Britain would not send Ukraine jets.
Ukrainian tank crews have arrived in the UK to begin training for their continued fight against Russia.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) January 29, 2023
The UK will provide Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine alongside global partner nations – demonstrating the strength of support for Ukraine, internationally.#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/OLKtllePzN
“This is not a solid decision,” he added. “For now, I don’t think that’s the right approach. … What’s going to move on this conflict this year is going to be the ability for Ukrainians to deploy Western armour against Russia.”
On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said it would not be practical to send jets to Ukraine because it would take months to learn to fly them.
Wallace said Britain’s jets were very complex and might not be applicable in Ukraine.
“What they need right now is armour and tanks,” he said. “I think we’d have to be pretty sure that (jets) is going to be the next battle winning requirement. But for now, I think we’re focused on the tanks, the land battle.”
Ukrainian, Austrian presidents meet
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met with his visiting Austrian counterpart, Alexander Van der Bellen, to discuss bilateral cooperation and assistance for Kiev, the Ukrainian presidential press service said.
During the talks on Wednesday, Zelensky and Van der Bellen talked about energy, economic and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries, and the development of Ukrainian communities.
“We have also discussed the issues of our political cooperation in Europe and other international platforms,” the Ukrainian President told reporters after the talks.
Zelensky thanked Austria for pushing forward humanitarian ties and providing 200 million euros (about $219 million) in assistance for Ukraine.
He also urged Austrian businesses to increase cooperation with their Ukrainian partners on the reconstruction and the modernisation of Ukraine’s energy sector.
For his part, Van der Bellen, who arrived in Kiev earlier on Wednesday, said Austria will strongly support the Ukrainian people by all possible means, including through the provision of humanitarian aid.
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