Russia-Ukraine war: UK says it won’t supply Kyiv with RAF Typhoon and F-35 fighters, gives reason
British Royal Air Force's Typhoon
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The United Kingdom has said that it won't provide Ukraine with RAF Typhoon and F-35 fighters amid Kyiv's growing demands for fighter jets and long-range missiles to counter Russian aggression.UK-based media outlet Daily Mail reported that Britain has refused a request from Ukraine for advanced fighter jets, stating that it is not "practical".
According to the report, Britain said that itwon't send RAF Typhoon or F-35 fighters as it would take a long time to train pilots of Ukrainian forces.
As quoted by the Daily Mail report, the prime minister's official spokesman said that it was "not currently practical" to send RAF jets.
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He said, "The UK's Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets are extremely sophisticated and take months to learn how to fly. Given that, we believe it is not practical to send those jets into Ukraine."
He added, "Obviously we will continue to provide and accelerate our military support to Ukraine and listen carefully to their requests."
The recent consensus among the West to send powerful tanks to Ukraine came as a boost for the war-torn nation, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to lobby the allies to supply fighter jets to repulse Russian advances.
Currently, the Ukrainian air force has Soviet-era Russian fighters, mainly the Mig-29 and it has further demanded powerful weapons, missiles, especially jets, as Kyiv wants fighter planes sooner rather than later.
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French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, meanwhile,said "there was no taboo" about supplying Kyiv with fighter planes after meeting Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov in Paris.
A report published by Reuters said that two United States officials briefed on the matter told the news agency on Tuesday that the US is preparing a $2.2 billion package of additional assistance.
The Biden administration has already provided Ukraine with reportedly $27.2 billion in military aid since Russia's invasion. The news agency also reported that the US might offer Kyiv longer-range rockets for the first time and other munitions and weapons.
(With inputs from agencies)
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