UK, Dutch pledge fighter jet support for Ukraine

London [UK], May 17 : UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday (local time) pledged to build an "international coalition" to provide fighter jet support for Ukraine.

"The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Rutte agreed they would work to build (an) international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat air capabilities, supporting with everything from training to procuring F16 jets," a spokesman for Sunak's Downing Street office said in a statement following a meeting at the Council of Europe Summit in Iceland.

This comes after Sunak in February pledged to train Ukraine's pilot, strongly suggesting the training pledge was a prelude to providing Ukraine with advanced British fighter planes to help battle invading Russian forces.

After visiting Sunak at his Chequers country estate outside London on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was "very positive" about creating a "jets coalition" in his country's war with Russia.

Sunak said on Monday that the UK was preparing to open a flight school to train its pilots.

French President Emmanuel Macron at the same time offered to train Ukrainian fighter pilots but ruled out sending warplanes to Kyiv.

"The Prime Minister reiterated his belief that Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO and the leaders agreed on the importance of allies providing long-term security assistance to Ukraine to guarantee they can deter future attacks," Sunak's spokesman added.

Earlier, Zelenskyy embarked on a whirlwind tour of European allies to bolster his military as it readies a counteroffensive to recapture occupied territory.

He was in London on Monday after a tour of European capitals that saw him meet with allied leaders and even Pope Francis at a decisive moment in the conflict.

Zelenskyy secured new military aid from France and Germany as his troops appeared to deal the Kremlin new blows on the ground and in the air.

Sunak's office said a new bevy of equipment for Ukraine would include hundreds of long-range attack drones with a range of more than 124 miles, after Britain sent long-range precision missiles last week that have already expanded Kyiv's ability to strike targets in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.

It comes after Zelenskyy's back-to-back visits to Berlin, Rome and Paris over the weekend that included a meeting with Francis.

In Berlin, Zelenskyy thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the country's military support, a far cry from Berlin's hesitancy earlier in the war. The Ukrainian leader left with a promise of additional military aid worth more than USD 3 billion.

After a three-hour meeting in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron promised to help Ukraine "for as long as it takes," pledging additional military aid, including armoured vehicles and light tanks "in the coming weeks," as well as training for soldiers and supporting Ukraine's air defence capabilities.

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