Kremlin slams UK for accelerating military support to Ukraine after Zelenskyy-Sunak meet

British Premier Rishi Sunak vowed increased military support to Ukraine on Monday after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London, a move that was perceived in an "extremely" negative light by Russia. As the leaders met for what Zelenskyy called "substantive negotiations" at the Chequers country estate on Monday, Sunak assured to deliver hundreds of new long-range attack drones and missiles to the war-hit nation.

For Ukraine's Zelenskyy, this is a step forward in creating a "jets coalition," but on the other side of the border, Russia remains furious over the move. In a conversation with Sky News, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is taking the step "extremely negatively."

"We take this step by the UK extremely negatively. Great Britain aspires to stand at the forefront of those countries that continue to pump weapons to Ukraine. I repeat once again this cannot have any significant, fundamental impact on the course of the special military operation," he said.  

UK set to train Ukrainian fighter pilots 

But paying no heed to what Russia thinks, Zelenskyy said that jets are a "very important topic for us because we can't control the sky." "I think you will hear important decisions in the closest time, but we have to work a bit more," he added. He also clarified that Kyiv would be requiring "more time" to prepare, as he continues his Europe tour to seek war support from key allies.

We must not let Ukraine down.

That’s why we’re accelerating our support:

🔼 More missiles
🔼 Long-range attack drones
🔼 New UK flying school
🔼 Conference to support Ukraine’s recovery

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) May 15, 2023

United in action.

Last year the UK provided Ukraine with more military support than any country except the US.

Today, @RishiSunak and @ZelenskyyUa discussed how we ensure that support is not just here for today, but into the future as well. pic.twitter.com/8mUW8B4OEe

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) May 15, 2023

On the other hand, Sunak said that the UK is looking forward to providing Western fighter jet training to Ukrainian pilots "relatively soon." To achieve this, a new flying school is scheduled to open this summer. The PM said in a tweet that it would give them the "training they need to handle different types of aircraft" and "better defend their citizens against Russian aggression".