2.8.23
NATO members have been reluctant to send fighter jets to Ukraine, but one member of the alliance is offering to train Ukrainian pilots, a potential first step toward Ukraine obtaining the jets it wants. The British government will offer to train Ukrainian pilots to fly advanced NATO-standard fighter jets in the future, Downing Street said on Wednesday, even as the military alliance refuses to actually send the physical aircraft to Ukraine. Downing Street's announcement came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to London — his second trip outside the country since Russian forces launched their large-scale invasion nearly a year ago — to meet with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and address parliament. "As part of today's talks, the Prime Minister will offer to bolster the UK's training offer for Ukrainian troops, including expanding it to fighter jet pilots to ensure Ukraine can defend its skies well into the future," Downing Street said in the announcement.
The announcement appears to mark the first time that a Western country has offered to train Ukrainian pilots since the start of the war, though there has been some support for that in the US. should fighter jets eventually make their way to Ukraine, it would not be the first time that Kyiv has requested advanced weaponry and later received it after some time, deliberation, and, in some cases, refusal. This pilot training will also be supplemented by a scale-up of an existing UK-based training program for Ukrainian forces, which has already seen thousands of soldiers develop "battle readiness" in recent months. Among the existing training programs is one that teaches Ukrainians how to operate Britain's Challenger 2 tank, a main battle tank.