Here's the real reason behind Zelensky's surprise U.K. visit
The U.S.’s own willingness to provide jets—specifically the American-made F-16s—is what may prove most decisive in how Kyiv’s European allies choose to respond. Germany, in particular, has provento act out of lockstep with Washington for fear of provoking a Russian escalation. Besides, should European countries wish to donate their stockpile of F-16s to Ukraine, they will need the Biden administration’s permission.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives with Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street in central London on Feb. 8, 2023.TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)Still, the British government will undoubtedly come under pressure to take the lead in this area—if not from Kyiv and its allies, then certainly from within.
“It is crucial that the U.K. and the international community maintains its support for the people of Ukraine as its people fight for freedom, democracy, and human rights,” Alyn Smith, a Scottish Nationalist Party lawmaker, told TIME following Zelensky’s address. “I absolutely believe that Ukraine will win and I look forward to seeing that day soon.”
It is that belief that Zelensky was counting on when he presented the House of Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle with a helmet belonging to one of Ukraine’s most successful pilots, with a message scrawled on it: “We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.”
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