There seems little doubt that Ukraine will be sent warplanes of some description eventually.
But it’s a huge step and he needs as much support for the idea as possible.
The West’s backing for Ukraine has evolved from giving just enough to keep the war going, hoping Vladimir Putin would be persuaded to give up because of sanctions and defeats.
His decision to double down instead and mobilise more men and a wartime economy means the West believes it must now give Ukraine all that it needs to win.
As former British military intelligence officer Philip Ingram told Sky News: “When the decision was made to send main battle tanks that was the step change and having done that I think politically that’s the allied countries saying we’re going back to the point until you defeat and push the Russians out of the geographic boundaries of Ukraine.”
Advertisement
And planning to send jets is almost certainly already under way. But there may not be quite the public appetite for sending the West’s most sophisticated airborne weapons. Zelenskyy’s task was moving the dial more in favour of such a bold move.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
24:14
Zelenskyy at Westminster Hall
As has become abundantly clear, he is a formidable communicator. His message is that Ukraine’s war is everyone’s war. He tailors it to suit each audience.
In the majesty of Westminster Hall, he stood bathed in sunshine and gave one of the most memorable speeches ever delivered there. He spoke of Churchill and the values that Britain shares with his country – the love of freedom and democracy.
But the former comedian-turned-president combines soaring oratory with charm and humour, and never more so than in his closing comments designed to win over any last resistance to arming Ukraine with warplanes.
He had already handed the Speaker of the House of Commons the flying helmet of one of Ukraine’s best pilots, saying it was inscribed with the message: “We have freedom give us wings to protect it.”
Image: Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle holds a helmet of one of Ukraine’s best pilots
“Leaving British parliament two years ago, I thanked you for delicious English tea,” he told the crowd of parliamentarians in the highlight of the speech. They roared with laughter.
“And I will be leaving the parliament today thanking all of you in advance for powerful English planes.” In the applause that followed they seemed more than persuaded.
Britain may have precious few of the multi-role planes Ukraine needs, but it could be instrumental in persuading others to send theirs, especially America whose president, Joe Biden, has for now ruled it out.
The speech also set the mood music ahead of meetings with European leaders who are, he says, already assuring him they will send planes.
As Zelenskyy was wrapping up his trip, Russia released pictures of senior officials being shown around a tank factory. The message – you’re sending tanks, but we can make many more.
Ukraine is littered with the carcases of more than 1,500 Russian tanks, many with their turrets popped off by British supplied NLAW anti-tank missiles.
They will be no match for Western-supplied tanks that can operate at night and from a distance Russian commanders can only dream of. They are going to Ukraine not least because of its president’s extraordinary powers of communication and persuasion.
And his surprise whistlestop tour through Europe means it’s more than likely they’ll now be supported in the air by Western-supplied modern fighter jets at some point later this year.
Israel pounded the outskirts of Gaza City overnight, as Benjamin Netanyahu’s government vowed to press on with a planned offensive on the city.
Families streamed out of the city as the explosions hit.
“I stopped counting the times I had to take my wife and three daughters and leave my home in Gaza City,” said Mohammad, 40.
“No place is safe, but I can’t take the risk. If they suddenly begin the invasion, they will use heavy fire.”
Image: Mahmoud Abedrabo mourns over the body of his son Hamada in Gaza City on 24 August. Pic: Reuters
Others said they would prefer to die and not leave.
“We are not leaving, let them bomb us at home,” said Aya, 31, who has a family of eight, adding that they couldn’t afford to buy a tent or pay for the transportation.
“We are hungry, afraid and don’t have money,” she said.
More on Gaza
Related Topics:
Image: Mourners pray next to the body of Palestinian boy Hamada Abedrabo on 24 August. Pic: Reuters
Witnesses said that overnight they heard nonstop explosions in Zeitoun and Shejaia.
Tanks shelled houses and roads in Sabra, and buildings were blown up in Jabalia.
On Sunday, the IDF said its forces had returned to combat in Jabalia to strengthen its control of the area and dismantle militant tunnels.
Image: Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters
It added that the operation there “enables the expansion of combat into additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning to operate in these areas.”
This month, Israel approved a plan to seize control of Gaza City. The offensive isn’t expected to start for another few weeks.
In the meantime, mediators in Egypt and Qatar are trying to resume ceasefire talks between the two sides.
On Friday, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said that Gaza City will be razed unless Hamas releases all its remaining hostages and ends the war on Israel’s terms.
Image: Mourners transport the body of Ahmed Balata on 24 August. Pic: Reuters
Around half of Gaza’s two million residents currently live in the city and on Friday a global hunger monitor said that Gaza City and its surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine that will likely spread.
Israel said the monitor ignores steps Israel has taken since late July to increase aid supplies into and across Gaza.
Eight more people died of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry on Saturday.
281 people, including 114 children, have now died of malnutrition and starvation since the war started, according to the ministry.
The war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel, mainly civilians, and took 251 hostages.
Since then, Israel has killed at least 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, and internally displaced nearly its entire population.
Two married couples have died after a British car veered off the road and crashed in Germany, according to police.
The fatal accident happened shortly after midnight on Saturday in the trees near a highway in the Kassel district, north of Hesse in central Germany.
The 32-year-old male driver, a 31-year-old female passenger, a 32-year-old female passenger, and a 30-year-old female passenger all died at the scene, despite the efforts of German emergency services.
Sky News understands UK officials have not been contacted for assistance.
At roughly 12.30am on Saturday, the car appears to have veered off the road and crashed into nearby trees around 30m from the road, according to the Kassel police department.
Image: Pic: Feuerwehr Reinhardshagen
One of the victim’s phones automatically alerted the emergency services to the incident, who sent an ambulance to the scene.
Soon, fire engines, ambulances, command vehicles and emergency support vehicles were all dispatched.
More on Germany
Related Topics:
When emergency workers arrived, the car was lying on its side, wedged between several trees.
It wasn’t until they removed the roof that they found all four passengers.
Image: Pic: Feuerwehr Reinhardshagen
Image: The accident happened on Highway L3229
The emergency workers who dealt with the victims were immediately supported by the specialist mental health workers at the fire station in Reinhardshagen.
“This high number of deaths is an extraordinary operation for our Reinhardshagen Volunteer Fire Department,” said a fire department spokesperson.
“For some of the emergency personnel, it is the first time they have been confronted with death in this way.
“Therefore, a great deal is being done to help us process these images. We will also discuss this among ourselves and within families, because not everyone can easily shake off what they have seen.”
An investigation into the accident is ongoing and is being conducted by the Hofgeismar police station.
Legendary boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. will stand trial over alleged cartel ties and arms trafficking, his lawyer has said.
A Mexican court has granted a three-month extension for further investigation into the case, according to Chávez’s lawyer, Rubén Fernando Benítez Alvarez.
He said the claims against his client were “speculation” and “urban legends” after a court hearing on Saturday in the northern Mexican city of Hermosillo.
If convicted, Chávez – who took part in the hearing virtually from a detention facility – could face a prison sentence of four to eight years, Mr Alvarez said.
Chávez, 39, who has been living in the United States for several years, was arrested in early July by federal agents outside his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and providing inaccurate details on an application to obtain a green card.
The arrest came just days after a fight he had with famed American boxer Jake Paul in Los Angeles.
Mexican prosecutors have been investigating the boxer since 2019 after US authorities filed a complaint against the Sinaloa Cartel for organized crime, human trafficking, arms smuggling, and drug trafficking.
More from World
The case prompted investigations into 13 individuals, including Ovidio Guzmán López – the son of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán – as well as several associates, hitmen, and accomplices of the criminal organization. Guzmán López was arrested in January 2023 and extradited to the US eight months later.
Following the inquiry, the Federal Attorney General’s Office issued several arrest warrants, including one against Chávez.
The boxer was deported by the US on 9 August and handed over to agents of the Federal Attorney General’s Office in Sonora state, who transferred him to the Federal Social Reintegration Center in Hermosillo.
The high-profile case comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure Mexico into cracking down on organized crime, including cancelling visas of prominent Mexican artists and celebrities, and increasing deportations.
Chávez has struggled with drug addiction throughout his career and has been arrested multiple times. In 2012, he was found guilty of driving under the influence in Los Angeles and was sentenced to 13 days in jail.
The boxer was arrested last year for weapons possession. Police said Chávez had two rifles.
He was released shortly afterward upon posting $50,000 bail (£36,000), on the condition that he attend a facility to receive treatment for his addiction.