Boris Johnson: UK has to "break the ice" and give Ukraine its fighter jets

Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson has called on the current government to send Typhoon fighter jets to Ukraine to defend the country from Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Source: Boris Johnson in an interview with Sky News

Details: "What the Ukrainians want is F-16s. As it happens, we don't have F-16s but we do have Typhoons. I think there's an argument for the UK breaking the ice and giving them some Typhoons. If it's a question of training people up to use those machines – we can do that," Johnson stressed.

He appeared confident that Ukraine would only use the jets to defend their country.

He also called on the UK defence industry to be put on a "war footing" in light of its low stocks of ammunition.

"But if you look at the UK's own defences and how to make sure that our own country is protected and the entire Euro-Atlantic security area is protected, then the best thing you can do, the most economical thing you can do, is to make sure that Putin fails in Ukraine and that the Ukrainians win," Johnson explained.

Background: In early January 2023, the UK announced that it would train Ukrainian pilots on Western fighter jets and offered to help those countries that were prepared to send fighter jets to Ukraine. However, London ruled out providing British jets to Ukraine.

However, Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said on 22 February that he thought the UK might become the first Western country to supply fighter jets to Ukraine.

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