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UK and Polish leaders agree support for Ukraine must be “accelerated"

UK and Polish leaders agree support for Ukraine must be “accelerated"

16/02/2023 18:09:29 World

Britain and Poland are “entirely aligned in their steadfast support” for Ukraine and agree that aid should be “accelerated in the coming weeks,” Downing Street said in a statement Thursday.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Polish President Andrzej Duda met in London and discussed the training of Ukrainian pilots on NATO jets, which will begin in the United Kingdom shortly, according to an official UK readout.

Sunak “reiterated his commitment to European security,” the statement said, noting the UK’s recent deployment of its “Sky Sabre” missile defense system to Poland.

Sky Sabre is a medium-range, anti-air missile system that can be used to engage fighter jets, attack helicopters, drones, smart bombs and cruise missiles, according to the British Army.

More background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took his plea for the supply of Western fighter jets directly to other European countries last week, including in a surprise visit to London and at a European Union summit.

At the summit, a Polish ambassador reiterated his country's support for sending Ukraine military planes if other NATO allies do as well. But President Duda appeared to downplay the prospect of any imminent deliveries of aircraft to Ukraine, calling it a "serious" decision that would not be "easy" to take.

NATO's secretary general said Tuesday that the question of sending modern fighter jets to Ukraine is "not the most urgent issue" right now, focusing instead on delivering the military support it has already committed to Ukraine.

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