Britain says it won’t supply Ukraine with RAF Typhoon and F-35 fighters

Britain says it will refuse a request from Ukraine for advanced fighter jets with which to battle Russia, saying it is not ‘practical’.

No10 today said it was not planning to send RAF Typhoon or F-35 fighters to Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces because it would take too long to train pilots to fly them.

The Ukrainian air force is currently equipped with Soviet-era Russian fighters, mainly the Mig-29, which first flew in 1977.

But president Zelensky is seeking newer western fighter jets which can reach speeds of more than 1,200mph – adding to nearly $30 billion in military and security assistance since Russia’s invasion on February 24.

But the Prime Minister’s official spokesman today said it was ‘not currently practical’ to send RAF jets.

‘The UK’s Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets are extremely sophisticated and take months to learn how to fly. Given that we believe it is not practically to send those jets into Ukraine,’ he said

‘Obviously we will continue to provide and accelerate our military support to Ukraine and listen carefully to their requests.’

No10 today said it was not planning to send RAF Typhoon (top,) or F-35 fighters (above) to Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces because it would take too long to train pilots to fly them.

The Ukrainian air force is currently equipped with Soviet-era Russian fighters, mainly the Mig-29, which first flew in 1977.

Pentagon officials want to send American F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to fight Putin, after Zelensky’s army secured tanks from Germany and the US.

The contentious discussion on whether to send the jets to Ukraine has been ongoing as the Biden administration, which has so far rebuffed Kyiv’s requests, must approve the transfers.

Deputy national security adviser Jonathan J Finer this week claimed that while there is no set decision, the possibility is not off the table – but top brass are said to be keen. 

Any such donation of F-16s would further infuriate Vladimir Putin, and likely further inflame the badly-damaged relationship between Russia and the West.

President Emmanuel Macron has said France does not exclude sending fighter jets to Ukraine, but laid out multiple conditions before such a significant step might be taken.

France has sent Ukraine air defence systems, rocket launcher units, cannons and other military equipment and has pledged to send armoured surveillance and combat vehicles, but has stopped short of sending battle tanks or heavier weaponry.

Asked at a news conference in The Hague on Monday if France is considering sending warplanes, Mr Macron said ‘nothing is excluded’ as long as certain conditions are met. 

After completing a review, the Prime Minister told his Cabinet on Tuesday that a ‘prolonged stalemate’ in the war in Ukraine ‘would only benefit Russia’ and its President Vladimir Putin, according to No 10.

He said they must seize an ‘opportunity to accelerate UK support’ to give Ukraine ‘the best chance of success and make the most of the window of opportunity where Russian forces were on the back foot’.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace shared US estimates that 180,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured in the year-long invasion. That is compared to around 15,000 killed during the decade-long war in Afghanistan.

The Kremlin has also lost two-thirds of its tanks, Mr Wallace said, according to Downing Street’s account of the Cabinet meeting.

A national security official said Russian forces are suffering from equipment and munition shortages and have seen ‘significant attrition among some of their most capable fighting forces and officer corps’.

Other Western officials were more cautious in their casualty estimates, suggesting both sides have lost more than 100,000 killed and wounded – with the Russians sustaining a higher proportion of fatalities.

‘The Russians have been attacking and that means they have suffered more fatalities than the Ukrainians have,’ one official said.

The Prime Minister said his new strategy will be accompanied by ‘greater diplomatic efforts and planning work’ with Ukraine ‘on how to rebuild’ once the conflict is over.

But it does not include sending the advanced fighter jets Kyiv is demanding, which No 10 said was not discussed at Cabinet.