Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the UK on Wednesday, Feb. 8, to thank the country for its support and to ask for more help fighting the Russian invaders. The war leader addressed Parliament, met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and had an audience with King Charles III.
The British greeted Zelensky with a hero’s welcome. PM Sunak, who has been a strong supporter, gave the president a hug. Wearing his trademark military green apparel, Zelensky vowed “freedom will win” and appealed to Parliament to provide fighter jets, saying, “Combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom.”
“Two years ago, I left Parliament thanking you for the delicious English tea. Today I will leave Parliament thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes,” Zelensky said. He continued:
“I have come here and stand before you on behalf of the brave, on behalf of our war heroes who are now in the trenches under enemy artillery fire, on behalf of our air gunners, and every defender of the sky who protects Ukraine against enemy aircraft and missiles, on behalf of our tank men who fight to restore our Ukrainian borders, on behalf of our conscripts who are being trained now including here in Britain.
“Thank you, Britain.”
Zelensky Appeals to Britain for Fighter Jets
Zelensky also praised King Charles for his service in the Royal Air Force (RAF), saying: “The king was an air force pilot, and in Ukraine every air force pilot is a king.” Although Britain has promised to train Ukrainian pilots to fly NATO-standard fighter jets, the country has not yet pledged any aircraft. England has already trained 10,000 Ukrainian troops and said it will start training marines as well.
Getting fighter jets, however, is the president’s main goal. When asked how much help he would need, Zelensky said, “We needed anything to destroy the Russians who are killing and raping our people.” He added:
“Now we are in the stagnation phase. You asked what happens if we don’t get jets or munitions. Things are running out. These people will be living on our territory and that poses a risk to the rest of the world. They are terrorists.
“Without the weapons that we are discussing now, there will be stagnation, which will not lead to anything good.”
There was some hilarity, though, when Zelensky realized just how long it takes to train fighter pilots. “With pilots, I didn’t know it takes three years to train on typhoons. We will send you pilots with two-and-a-half years of experience,” he quipped. Prime Minister Sunak explained in a statement that the training of both pilots and ground support highlights the country’s commitment to Ukraine, not just for the “short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
But supplying fighter jets isn’t as easy as some might think. As Sunak explained, “There is a supply chain around such sophisticated aircraft,” which means working with allies to come to any agreements. President Joe Biden and the British government are concerned that sending jets to Ukraine could make the conflict between Russia and NATO even worse. Russia officials have repeatedly warned the US and other countries against assisting Ukraine. The Russian embassy to Britain warned London that sending fighter jets to their nemesis would have “military and political consequences for the European continent and the entire world,” according to the TASS news agency as reported by the Telegraph.
Also on Wednesday, the British government announced it has set a number of new sanctions into motion that target the Russian military and those loyal to Vladimir Putin. These restrictions are aimed at “undermining his war machine to help Ukraine prevail,” James Cleverly, British foreign secretary, wrote in a statement. Five people who reportedly have ties to Putin’s residences made the list as well as CST, a drone manufacturer and companies that supply “military parts and software involved in military aviation,” the Telegraph explained.
Zelensky also went to Paris Wednesday evening to meet with President Emmanuel Macron, whom he said has changed. Last year, Macron said it was imperative that the Russians were not humiliated so that there could be a diplomatic resolve once the fighting in Ukraine was finished. “I think he has changed, and changed for real this time,” Zelensky told Le Figaro newspaper. “After all, it’s him who paved the way for the delivery of tanks. And he has also supported Ukraine’s membership to the EU. I think that was a real signal.” Today, Feb. 9, the Ukrainian president is due in Brussels to meet with European Union leaders.
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