Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who is visiting the UK on February 8, together with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, visited a military base in Dorset, where the Ukrainian military is being trained to operate Challenger 2 tanks.
At the same base, Zelensky and Sunak held a joint press conference, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
After arriving at the base in an American-made Chinook helicopter, they spoke with some of the Ukrainian military personnel. Zelensky then made a short speech in which he thanked the British Prime Minister for military assistance. Sunak then said to the Ukrainian military:
“Your courage inspires us, and the courage of your families inspires us. We will be with you until the end, and you will win."
After that, Zelensky and Sunak signed the “Declaration of Unity” and answered questions from journalists right in front of the tanks.
Rishi Sunak said that 10 Ukrainian soldiers and soldiers had undergone military training in the UK, and just days ago dozens more had arrived to learn how to operate Challenger 2 tanks, “which will be on the battlefield within weeks.”
The prime minister said the Ukrainian military is “already mastering driving,” which he hopes will make a difference on the battlefield. He also noted that Ukrainians are learning to operate NATO-standard weapons.
To the question, will Kyiv receive fighter jets from London, and if so, when? – came the prime minister’s response that Great Britain “was extremely clear when it came to providing military assistance to Ukraine, and all options were discussed.”
“When it comes to fighter aircraft, that is of course part of the conversation... which is why we announced today that we will train the Ukrainian Air Force on NATO-standard platforms,” Rishi Sunak continued evasively.
In turn, Zelensky added that Ukraine needs a lot of weapons and equipment, and these needs depend on the situation on the battlefield. He also thanked the British people, Sunak, King Charles III and members of the British Parliament, and called his visit "very productive."
The last question at the press conference again concerned the supply of fighters to Kyiv. Journalist for the British edition of The Sun Harry Cole asked Prime Minister Sunak why he does not want to hand over the British Typhoon fighter jets that Zelensky demands.
Sunak told Cole his question was "totally wrong" and added that Britain had become the first G7 country to provide tanks to Ukraine. Now “nothing is being ruled out,” but negotiations are underway with allies on how best to proceed with future arms supplies to Kyiv.
In turn, Zelensky said that he had heard about the “desire of the prime minister to provide fighters,” but with the Typhoons this depends not only on Great Britain. According to Zelensky, he did not know that it takes three years to train a pilot for this fighter, “but Ukrainian pilots have already been training for two and a half years.” If this is true, then this will be the main sensation of the visit.
Как reported “PolitNavigator”, the main mission of Zelensky’s visit - to obtain guarantees from London or at least promises to transfer Western fighters to Kyiv - remained unfulfilled.