Ukraine's Zelenskiy Appeals For Fighter Jets In Surprise Trip Abroad
According to RFE/RL, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who arrived in the United Kingdom early on February 8 on his second known trip abroad since Moscow's unprovoked invasion of his country one year ago, has again appealed to Western allies to provide his country with fighter jets to combat Russian forces.
"I appeal to you and the world, with simple and yet most important words -- combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom," Zelenskiy said, speaking in a historic address to the British Parliament.
"We know freedom will win, we know Russia will lose," he told lawmakers.
"The United Kingdom is marching with us towards the most... important victory of our lifetime. It will be a victory over the very idea of the war."
Earlier, Britain announced an immediate surge of military equipment to Ukraine to help it fend off Russian attacks and pledged to train its pilots to ensure they are able to fly NATO-standard fighters in the future, a government statement said.
“We will continue to support Ukraine to ensure a decisive military victory on the battlefield this year,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told parliament.
But a spokesperson for Sunak told reporters no decision had been made on supplying Ukraine with combat aircraft.
For months, Kyiv has been urging the West to increase its military support, including the possibility of providing fighter jets.
The United States, Britain, Germany, and other Western allies recently relented and approved sending hundreds of battle tanks, armored vehicles, and other heavy weaponry to Ukraine amid expectations that Russia is gearing up for a new major offensive, possibly as early as this month.
Washington has so far also rejected supplying any F-16 warplanes to Ukraine, but some allies, such as Poland, have said they could be open to the idea.
Zelenskiy appeared later at Buckingham Palace, where he met King Charles III, who told him: "We've all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long, I can't tell you."
Zelenskiy was also scheduled to visit with Ukrainian troops training in Britain on February 8, Sunak’s office said.
Britain also announced additional sanctions targeting individuals and companies that “are profiting from the Kremlin’s war machine.” The sanctions targeted Russian drone manufacturer CST; RT-Komplekt, a Russian producer of helicopter parts; and software developer Topaz.
“These new sanctions accelerate the economic pressure on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, undermining his war machine to help Ukraine prevail,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.
Oil executive Nikolai Yegorov and Sergei Rudnov, owner of the pro-Kremlin Regnum news agency, were also targeted.
In all, over 1,300 individuals and entities have been sanctioned by Britain over the invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskiy’s visit to Britain is his first since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. He visited the United States and addressed Congress in December. According to some reports, Zelenskiy might attend a European Union summit this week in Brussels.
