Ukraine war: Liz Truss joins Johnson in calling for transfer of fighter jets

Liz Truss has joined increasing calls for combatant jets to beryllium sent to Ukraine, successful her archetypal code successful Parliament since resigning arsenic premier minister.

Ms Truss said the UK needed to "do each we can, arsenic accelerated arsenic we can" to assistance Ukraine triumph the warfare against Russia.

The telephone was echoed by erstwhile PM Boris Johnson during a statement connected Ukraine, putting unit connected PM Rishi Sunak.

Mr Sunak's authorities has agreed to bid Ukrainian pilots but says supplying jets is simply a semipermanent option.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to European leaders to proviso his state with modern combatant jets during visits to the UK, France and Belgium.

The UK is to commencement grooming Ukrainian forces to alert Nato-standard jets and Mr Sunak has said "nothing is disconnected the table".

At the Munich Security Conference past week, the premier curate urged satellite leaders to springiness Ukraine the astir precocious weapons to support itself successful the agelong term.

He told the BBC it could instrumentality months to bid pilots and the UK was alternatively focused connected utilizing alternate proviso of aerial screen to the country.

Some Nato subordinate countries are besides disquieted that giving jets to Ukraine would beryllium viewed arsenic escalating the war, risking nonstop confrontation betwixt the Western subject confederation and Russia.

In her code to MPs successful the House of Commons, Ms Truss said "we request to bash each we tin to marque definite Ukraine wins this warfare arsenic soon arsenic possible".

She urged the UK authorities to enactment with allies to supply Ukraine with an enactment to usage combatant jets "otherwise they volition not beryllium capable to prevail".

Now a backbench Conservative MP, Ms Truss was overseas caput erstwhile President Vladimir Putin's forces invaded Ukraine astir a twelvemonth ago.

Ms Truss recalled what it was similar being successful authorities earlier and aft the penetration was launched.

She described quality of the invasion, delivered to her by a backstage caput astatine 03:30 successful the morning, arsenic "devastating" but "not unexpected" fixed Western quality astir Russia's plans.

It was Ms Truss's archetypal publication successful the Commons arsenic a backbench MP since 2012, erstwhile she became a minister.

Sat by her broadside during a wide statement connected Ukraine was Simon Clarke, 1 of the furniture ministers successful her short-lived government.

Ms Truss's code followed that of Mr Johnson, who repeated his telephone for combatant jets to beryllium sent to Ukraine.

Mr Johnson said that successful the past 12 months since the warfare began, Western countries had yet supplied the Ukrainians with the weapons they had requested.

"Let's chopped to the pursuit and springiness them the planes too," Mr Johnson said.

Underlining the urgency of supplying craft to Ukraine, Mr Johnson said "it is becoming ever clearer that China is preparing to limb the Russians".

"We should springiness them what they need, not adjacent month, not adjacent year, but now," helium added.

The British ambassador to Ukraine Dame Melinda Simmons told BBC Ukrainecast the West had to "hold our nerve" successful supporting Ukraine, adding "it isn't a abbreviated war".

She besides said immoderate aboriginal bid woody would request a information warrant for Ukraine to deter immoderate further invasion.

Mr Biden said the US would backmost Ukraine for "as agelong arsenic it takes", arsenic the imaginable of a Russian outpouring violative looms.