The United Kingdom is ready to send Typhoon fighter jets to protect the skies over Ukraine to ensure peace. This was reported by The Times, citing its own sources, according to UNN.
Details
“It is known that the UK is ready to send Typhoon fighter jets to guard the skies over Ukraine to help ensure peace,” the article says.
At the same time, the publication reminds that the day before, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow would not agree to the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine as part of any peace agreement. At the same time, according to an unnamed military official, this was only Russia's position after the “first round” of Russian-American talks held in Saudi Arabia.
In turn, as indicated, the British government is currently discussing ways to provide security guarantees without the need to deploy large numbers of troops. They argue that an “air protection” mission would make sense, although it would require a significant number of aircraft and air defense systems to protect them.
“Theoretically, dozens of Typhoons could be ready for any Russian attack, while a smaller peacekeeping force from the UK and other European countries would provide protection on the ground. One source hinted that cross-border attacks could be tracked by sophisticated technology rather than ground forces, although it is unclear how this would deter President Putin from breaking any agreement,” the publication notes.
According to the newspaper, “the UK-led air patrol mission could be modeled after NATO missions already underway in the Baltic states.
A source in the Royal Air Force said that this is more likely than a no-fly zone. “The planes could be based in Poland,” the newspaper notes. According to the newspaper, “discussions are at an early stage,” but the source said: “We are ready to do whatever they tell us.”
Context
The day before, Russian dictator Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov saidthat joining the European Union is Ukraine's sovereign right, and the Kremlin will not dictate to Kyiv how it should approach this issue. At the same time, he said, Russia's attitude to Ukraine's accession to NATO is different. According to Peskov, “there is a completely different position on security issues related to defense or military alliances.