Boris Johnson slams Rishi Sunak's decision NOT to send jets to Ukraine

2023-02-01

Boris Johnson slams Rishi Sunak’s decision NOT to send fighter jets to Ukraine with ex-PM saying it would be the ‘right thing’… despite the US also ruling out the move

Boris Johnson piles the pressure on Rishi Sunak to send fighter jets to Ukraine
The ex-PM says it would be the ‘right thing’ to provide air support for Zelensky
No10 insists it’s ‘not practical’ to supply Kyiv with RAF Typhoons or F-35s

Boris Johnson has piled pressure on Rishi Sunak to reverse his decision not to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

The former prime minister called on Western leaders to ‘give the Ukrainians what they need’ to further boost their chances of repelling Russia’s invasion.

Despite a plea from Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky for fighter jets, Downing Street has insisted it is ‘not practical’ to provide RAF Typhoons or F-35s.

It is claimed that training Ukraine’s forces on the ‘extremely sophisticated’ jets would take too long.

US President Joe Biden has also ruled out sending America’s F-16 jets.

But Mr Johnson took a swipe at the decision by Britain and the US not to provide air support to Ukraine, as he rejected suggestions it could escalate the war.

Speaking to Fox News on a visit to Washington D.C., Mr Johnson said: ‘Every time we say that it will be a mistake to give such and such an item of weaponry, we end up doing it and it ends up being the right thing for Ukraine.’

Boris Johnson called on Western leaders to ‘give the Ukrainians what they need’ to further boost their chances of repelling Russia’s invasion

Despite a plea from Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky for fighter jets, Rishi Sunak has insisted it is ‘not practical’ to provide RAF Typhoons or F-35s

It is claimed that training Ukraine’s forces on Britain’s ‘extremely sophisticated’ jets would take too long

The ex-premier recalled being told it was the ‘wrong idea’ to provide Ukraine with anti-tank shoulder-launched missiles while he was PM.

‘Actually they were indispensable and the US under Donald Trump gave them the Javelins as well,’ he added.

‘They were indispendable in those battles to repel the Russian tanks.

‘People said we shouldn’t give the Himars, I remember having arguments about the multiple-launch rocket systems, the MLRS – actually they proved invaluable for the Ukrainians.

‘Same with tanks, we said the same about tanks. All I’m saying is, save time, save money, save lives, give the Ukrainians what they need as fast as possible.

‘Get this thing done, forget about Putin, go for economic stability, long-term peace and prosperity.’

Mr Johnson also dismissed fears that supplying Ukraine with fighter jets could prompt Vladimir Putin to follow through on his threat to use nuclear weapons.

‘That’s what he [Putin] wants you to think. I’ll tell you why that’s not going to happen,’ he added.

‘It’s not going to happen because he’d lose the Chinese immediately, he’d lose all his support from the swing voters – from the Indians, the sub-Saharan Africans, the Gulf states, people who are cutting him too much slack at the moment.

‘He would absolutely terrify his own population who worry about reprisals.

‘You know what, he probably doesn’t even stop the Ukrainians if he did that.

‘And we would put his economy into such a cryogenic paralysis that Russia wouldn’t come out of it for decades. So he’s not going to do that.’

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