Ex-UK Prime Ministers Truss and Johnson Urge Sunak to Send Jets to Ukraine

A Typhoon jet of the Royal Air Force flies over the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta, Romania, on April 8, 2022. Daniel Mihailescu /AFP via Getty Images

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under increasing pressure from his immediate predecessors Liz Truss and Boris Johnson to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

Sunak’s government has so far not committed to providing Ukraine with British jets, arguing that it takes too long for pilots to train on the Royal Air Forces’ F-35 and Typhoon jets.

During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to London earlier this month, Sunak announced plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly NATO-standard advanced fighter jets, and Downing Street said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is “actively looking at whether we send jets.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outside 10 Downing Street, London, on Feb. 8, 2023. Victoria Jones/PA Media

However, last week, Wallace claimed it could be years before the UK gives any planes to Ukraine, suggesting Zelenskyy may even have to wait until the war with Russia is over.

During a general debate on Ukraine in the House of Commons on Monday, both Truss and Johnson piled pressure on Sunak, urging the UK government to further step up its already substantial support for the war-torn country.

‘Cut to the Chase’

Johnson, who had already said Britain should agree to Ukraine’s request for jets, urged the government to “cut to the chase” and make the delivery.

He said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “revanchist ambitions will be unchecked” as long as he is not “finally defeated in Ukraine.”

“That is why it is so crucial that we now accelerate our support for Ukraine and give them the tools to finish the job,” he said.

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson meeting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Jan. 22, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via PA Media

Johnson urged Western governments to speed up their promised delivery of modern battle tanks, arguing that “there is no conceivable ground for delay in getting them to Ukraine.”

“We need those machines—Abrams, Challengers, Leopards—to make a real difference in real time in the next few weeks, not next year,” he said.

On fighter jets, Johnson said: “Let us cut to the chase and give them the planes, too. If the House was in any doubt about the urgency of increasing our supply of equipment to the Ukrainians, it is becoming ever clearer that China is preparing to arm the Russians.”

The former prime minister added: “The Ukrainians need to be helped to restore not just the borders of Feb. 24 last year, but the 1991 borders on which they voted for independence.”

“The Ukrainians are fighting not just for their freedom, but for the cause of freedom around the world. We should give them what they need, not next month, not next year, but now,” he stressed.

‘Can’t Wait’

Echoing Johnson’s sentiment, Truss said she “can’t wait to see fighter jets” being delivered to Ukraine.

As she recalled what it was like being in government after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Truss said: “Many around this chamber have commented that maybe we should have supplied weapons earlier, but I can tell you from working inside the government, that we did all we could as quickly as we could to persuade allies, and we have built up now an alliance of countries supplying those weapons and I can’t wait to see the tanks, and I can’t wait to see the fighter jets in Ukraine to help those brave Ukrainians.”

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss leaves her house in southeast London on Feb. 5, 2023. Jonathan Brady/PA Media

She added: “we need to do all we can to make sure that Ukraine wins this war as soon as possible. Every extra day means lives lost, women violated and towns destroyed. We need to do all we can, as fast as we can—in my view, that includes fighter jets.”

In her speech, Truss also reiterated her calls for G7 nations to act as an “economic NATO” in response to the Chinese regime’s threats against Taiwan.

Arguing “prevention is far better than cure,” she said: “Let’s develop these economic tools and let’s be clear with China exactly what would happen if there was an escalation with respect to Taiwan.”

Closing the debate, defence minister Alex Chalk told MPs that the UK expects to begin training Ukrainian pilots this spring.

“You cannot supply a jet before you’ve trained a pilot and no time is being wasted in that endeavour,” he said.

Railway Reconstruction

Last year the UK provided £2.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine—the largest package of support of any European nation and second only to the United States. The government has also pledged £1.5 billion in economic and humanitarian support.

On Tuesday, the government said it has pledged £10 million worth of material and equipment to the war-torn nation to repair its ailing infrastructure.

Ukraine’s railways have been under constant attack by rockets and cruise missiles since the Russian invasion began. In under a year of fighting, 69 bridges and 36,942 km of railway tracks have been destroyed, according to the Ukrainian railway authority Ukrzaliznytsia.

The new aid package includes rapid-build modular steel bridges and tunnel lining repair equipment. The first aid shipment supplied by Network Rail, British engineering firm Mabey Bridge Limited, and the Department for Transport, has already been delivered to Ukraine via Poland.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the effort would not only help reconnect the Ukrainian people but help with global supply chains of grain and keep food prices across the world down.

PA Media contributed to this report.