Status: 08.02.2023 5:00 p.m
During an unannounced visit to London, Ukrainian President Zelensky renewed his call for fighter jet supplies. In the evening he travels to Paris – and meets Chancellor Scholz there.
During a surprise visit to London, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy once again called on his country’s allies to deliver fighter jets. “I appeal to you and the world … for fighter jets for Ukraine, wings for freedom,” Zelenskyi told members of both houses of Parliament at Westminster Hall.
In his speech, Zelenskyj called for stronger sanctions against Moscow “until Russia is deprived of the opportunity to finance this war.”
Great Britain wants to check delivery
According to Downing Street, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak now wants to check whether fighter jets are available for Ukraine. The Prime Minister has asked Defense Secretary Ben Wallace to examine what machines the UK could theoretically supply to Ukraine, it said. But it is a “long-term” solution. The first Ukrainian pilots could be trained on NATO jets in Great Britain as early as spring.
London had previously stated that a delivery of British aircraft was not suitable. So far, however, battle tanks of the “Challenger 2” type had been promised. Sunak has now declared that 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers are to be trained in Great Britain, including on NATO fighter jets.
Britain is one of Ukraine’s biggest military supporters. Deliveries of weapons and equipment have so far totaled more than two billion pounds (2.24 billion euros).
Sunak welcomes Selenskyj at the airport
Zelenskyj had landed on board a British Air Force aircraft at London’s Stansted Airport in the morning, where he was greeted by Sunak. The Prime Minister described the visit to London as “a testament to the courage, determination and fighting spirit of his country and a testament to the unwavering friendship between our two countries”.
Zelenskyj also used the surprise visit to thank the British for their support in the fight against the Russian invasion from “day one”. He wrote on Instagram that the UK was one of the first countries to rush to help Ukraine. That is why he is now in London to personally thank the British people and the Prime Minister.
After meeting Sunak and the British parliamentarians, the Ukrainian President was appointed by King Charles III. received at Buckingham Palace.
Meeting with Scholz and Macron in the evening
After the stop in London, Selenskyj will meet Chancellor Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris in the evening. This was confirmed by the Elysée Palace. The Ukrainian President is expected to travel to Brussels afterwards to attend the EU summit.
Macron and Scholz visited Selenskyj together in Kyiv in June and promised him their support for EU candidate status. For Selenskyj, it is the second trip abroad since the Russian attack on Ukraine a year ago. The first took him to Poland and the USA.