British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the United Kingdom is ready to assist countries that are willing to provide Ukraine with fighter jets. Sunak also urged allies to continue supporting Kyiv’s war efforts as the war reaches its first year.
Speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Sunak said that the UK is ready to provide help to Ukraine in other ways. London has refused to send Ukraine with fighter jets citing that the time needed to train pilots and support crews meant that the aircraft would not be able to be used immediately.
Sunak also said Western allies should also consider how Russia will pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine once the war is over and that the international community needs to recognize that a new framework is needed to ensure long-term security.
“We will happily provide a system to any country that is able to provide Ukraine with fighter jets right now. The UK stands ready to support those countries,” Sunak told reporters.
“From human rights to reckless nuclear threats, from Georgia to Moldova, Russia has committed violation after violation against countries outside the collective security of NATO,” Sunak told the conference. “And the international community’s response has not been strong enough.”
Sunak also met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the conference. Sunak stressed the importance of strengthening Ukraine’s long-term defenses, according to the statement released by the prime minister’s office. The statement added that both Sunak and Scholz agreed that the recent pledges to send Ukraine battle tanks would be “transformational” on the ground after Kyiv secured pledges to receive the German-made Leopard 2 tanks, the US Abrams tanks, and the British Challenger tanks.
Sunak also held a meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris during the conference, with both condemning the countries that have shown support to Moscow in its aggression on Ukraine and describing the war as a “global war.”
The statement released by Sunak’s office said Sunak and Harris discussed the effects of the war on energy and food security as well as the implications for “internationally accepted norms like sovereignty.”