Volodymyr Zelenskiy hinted on an unannounced visit to the UK that Kyiv could soon receive F-16 fighter jets, saying he was hopeful of “very important” decisions soon on the subject with the help of the UK. The Ukrainian president flew in by helicopter on Monday morning for a one-to-one meeting with Rishi Sunak at Chequers, the prime minister’s country retreat, the latest stop in a tour of Europe that had already taken in Rome, Berlin and Paris. Britain promised to supply “hundreds of attack drones” capable of operating at a range of 200km, although this description did not match any known UK capability, and the Ministry of Defence refused to give any extra details as to what was on offer. Speculation centred on whether the drones are a 3D-printed suicide drone made by the UK defence company QinetiQ. A press release from the company referring to them was removed from its website in February after it was picked up and reported on by a specialist publication. Standing next to Sunak after the meeting, Zelenskiy said they had discussed fighter planes “because we can’t control the sky”, and he was positive about persuading the US and other western nations to supply them. “We want to create this jets coalition and I’m very positive with it,” Zelenskiy said. “We spoke about it and I see that in the closest time you will hear some, I think, very important decisions, but we have to work a little bit more on it.”
Sunak, clearly happy to be with the Ukrainian leader, said he was supportive, while acknowledging the complexity of providing fighter jets. “It’s not just the provision of planes, it’s also the training of pilots and all the logistics that go alongside that and the UK can play a big part in that,” the prime minister said.
The UK said in February that it would begin training Ukrainian pilots in standard Nato techniques, and Downing Street repeated that on Monday, saying the plan was to help “build a new Ukrainian air force with Nato-standard F-16 jets”. Britain does not use F-16s, which are made the US defence firm Lockheed Martin in South Carolina. Ukraine has been seeking to obtain them for some time to augment its small Soviet-standard air force because they are widely available, with about 3,000 in service in 25 countries. Both countries will have to persuade the US if Ukraine is to receive F-16s. Asked later on Monday if the US had changed its position on supplying the jets to Ukraine, John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House’s National Security Council, gave a one-word reply: “No.” On Zelenskiy’s last trip to the UK, the president addressed both houses of parliament, asking for “wings for freedom” and pleading for Britain to give Ukraine European-made Typhoons. But that demand was dropped because it was deemed impractical, and Ukraine went back to calling for F-16s. A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Ukrainians made the decision to train their pilots on F-16 jets – you know the RAF don’t use those.” They added that subsequent to Zelenskiy’s previous trip, “the Ukrainians made clear they wish to use F-16s”. The long-range drones referred to by Downing Street appear to be similar in capability to Iranian-made Shahed-136s repeatedly used by Russia to bomb Ukraine’s cities, and would help Ukraine hit targets beyond the 50-mile range of the Himars rocket artillery, currently the principal longer-range weapon in its arsenal. One drone expert voiced concern that the UK and other European countries seemed focused on supplying “ever more lethal military hardware”. Chris Coles, of Drone Wars, said that instead of “escalating the conflict by supplying ever more lethal arms, the UK should be urging negotiations to end the war”. Over the preceding 48 hours, Germany had committed €2.7bn of military aid to Ukraine, including older Leopard 1 tanks and Marder fighting vehicles, while France said it would provide more AMX-10RC light tanks and train more of Kyiv’s troops as part of wider international efforts. Ukraine is expected launch a counteroffensive shortly as the weather improves, although Zelenskiy said it was not yet ready. “We really need some more time,” he said. “Not too much. We will be ready in some time.” Sunak took Zelenskiy to the Hawtrey Room, where Sir Winston Churchill gave some of his radio addresses during the second world war. The British leader then made a direct comparison between the two men, saying that in “the same way today, your leadership, your country’s bravery and fortitude are an inspiration to us all.” Additional reporting by David Smith in Washington