Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on a visit to Britain Monday won the promise of hundreds more missiles and drones — and said his coveted goal of enlisting Western fighter jets was drawing nearer.
The visit came as a Russian missile strike killed four people and hit a hospital in eastern Ukraine, but also as Zelensky’s army readies a long-awaited counter-offensive against Russian troops with claimed gains around the flashpoint town of Bakhmut.
After meeting UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Zelensky said he was “very positive” about creating a “jets coalition” in the war against Russia, with a decision expected soon.
Western nations have balked so far at providing advanced jets to help Ukraine take command of the skies against Russia, although Sunak said the UK was preparing to open a flight school to train its pilots.
France, too, has now offered to train Ukrainian fighter pilots, President Emmanuel Macron said in Paris, but he ruled out sending war planes to Kyiv.
And while Russia’s ally China vies to act as peace broker, sending an envoy to Kyiv this week, Zelensky drummed up hefty new packages of military aid on weekend visits to France and Germany.বিস্তারিত