British Defense Secretary "does not rule out" giving Ukraine fighter jets

Britain's defense secretary said Thursday that he did not rule out supplying combat aircraft to Ukraine, but said they would not be a "magic wand" that would quickly change the course of the war.

"On the issue of planes, I've been very clear. One thing I've learned over the past year is don't rule anything out, nothing can be ruled out," Ben Wallace told reporters.

Kyiv requested US-made F-16 warplanes to help push back the Russian army.

While the United States has ruled out providing the F-16s to Ukraine for now, other partners, including Poland, have shown more openness to the idea.

"I'm very open to looking at all kinds of systems, not just aircraft, to help Ukraine," Wallace added.

"These things do not always happen overnight. But I can say that we do not put Ukrainians at risk," the minister continued.

These statements come after it appeared that the British government presidency ruled out granting Kyiv advanced combat aircraft.

"The British F-35 Typhoon fighters are very advanced and it will take months to learn to fly," the prime minister's official spokesman said on Tuesday.

"Given this, we believe that it is impractical to send these planes to Ukraine," the spokesman added.

In a related development, the British government revealed in January that it intends to send 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine at the end of March, which is the first Western ally to promise to provide heavy attack vehicles.

Wallace considered that Kyiv urgently needs weapons that allow the military formations on the ground to repel the Russian forces, provided that they are "easy to move."

He added that providing Kyiv with combat aircraft would not change the rules of the game overnight due to the need for complex training.

"As you know, even if we announce tomorrow morning that we will give them fast planes, it will take months," the British defense secretary added, as the Ukrainians "would have to learn to fly planes."

"Therefore, there is no magic wand in this horrific dispute," Wallace said at a press conference held in Portsmouth, southern England, with his Australian counterpart Richard Marliss.

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