Volodymyr Zelensky visited London and Paris on Wednesday (February 8) to plead for fighter jets as Ukraine braces itself for an expected Russian offensive. The Ukrainian president gave a dramatic speech to Parliament before flying to Paris to meet the French and German leaders over dinner at the Elysee Palace.
The leader’s European tour and pleas for more advanced weapons came as his country braces for a Russian offensive while planning its own plans to retake land held by Moscow’s forces. Mr Zelensky thanked the British people for their support since “day one” of Moscow’s invasion nearly a year ago, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said fighter jets were “part of the conversation” about aid to Ukraine.
“Nothing is off the table,” he said at an evening news conference at a British army base. “We must arm Ukraine in the short term, but we must bolster Ukraine for the long term.”
