UK pledges hundreds of new attack drones to Ukraine as Zelenskyy seeks ‘jets coalition’
Ukraine’s president wants to create a “jets coalition” after face-to-face talks with Rishi Sunak, as the UK pledged to send hundreds of new long-range attack drones to Ukraine.
After discussions with Mr Sunak at Chequers about military aid for his country, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 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.
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The prime minister revealed the UK would start training Ukrainian pilots to use Western fighter jets “relatively soon”, helped by the opening of a new flying school.
Mr Sunak said the pair discussed “long-term” security arrangements from allied countries for Ukraine, as its troops prepare for a counteroffensive against Russia’s invading forces.
Mr Zelenskyy said Kyiv needs “more time” to prepare, as he embarks on a multi-stop European tour for increased support from allies.
UK’s new flying school
Pic: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street
Downing Street said an elementary flying phase for cohorts of Ukrainian pilots will begin this summer.
The prime minister tweeted it will give them the “training they need to handle different types of aircraft” and “better defend their citizens against Russian aggression”.
It comes after the government announced the further provision of hundreds of air defence missiles, and further unmanned aerial systems, including hundreds of new long-range attack drones with a range of over 200km.
They will be delivered over the coming months.
Speaking from the prime minister’s country retreat, Mr Zelenskyy said Ukrainians are “thankful from all our hearts” for support provided by the government.
Kremlin hits out against UK’s support for Ukraine
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Kremlin reacts to UK Ukraine support
It follows confirmation last week the UK is donating long-range precision missiles to Ukraine’s military.
In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Sky News that the UK’s support for Ukraine makes things more difficult for the country and said it takes the step “extremely negatively”.
He said: “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 cours eof the special military operation”.
Zelenskyy tight-lipped on counteroffensive
British support aid could help a long mooted spring counteroffensive by Ukraine.
Speaking at Chequers, Mr Zelenskyy said his military required “some more time” before launching one.
“We really need some more time – not too much. We’ll be ready in some time,” he said.
Pic: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street
“There are some secrets from our ‘neighbours’ and that’s why we have to prepare.”
It comes as fierce fighting continues in Ukraine’s eastern city of Bakhmut, inflicting heavy losses on both sides.
Neither Kyiv nor Moscow’s forces have been able to take full control of the city despite months of fighting, as analysis suggests the battle for the city is not about seizing ground but maximising enemy casualties.
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EU allies pledge more support
The announcements from the UK follow fresh aid committed by Ukraine’s allies in the EU.
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On Saturday, the German government promised Kyiv its biggest military support package so far, with further arms deliveries worth €2.7bn (£2.35bn).
France also pledged dozens of light tanks and armoured vehicles “in the weeks ahead”.
Emmanuel Macron’s office made the announcement after a summit with Mr Zelenskyy in Paris on Sunday.
The Ukrainian president’s meeting with Mr Sunak on Monday was their first since February.
Britain has been one of the largest suppliers of military aid to Ukraine since February 2022’s invasion, contributing £2.3bn worth of support last year and pledging a similar amount for 2023.
Spain is to legalise about 300,000 undocumented migrants a year – at a time that many European countries are seeking to limit or deter migration.
The policy, approved on Tuesday by Spain’s left-wing minority coalition government, aims to tackle the country’s ageing workforce and low birthrate.
Around 250,000 registered foreign workers a year are needed to maintain the country’s welfare state, according to migration minister Elma Saiz.
The scheme, due to run from May next year until 2027, will allow foreigners living in Spain without proper documentation to obtain work permits and residency.
The exact number of foreigners living in Spain without documentation is unclear.
However, around 54,000 undocumented migrants reached Spain so far this year by sea or land, according to government figures.
Many arrive via the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago located off the coast of northwestern Africa.
Spain’s minister of inclusion, social security and migration, Elma Saiz. Pic: AP
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The figure compares to the 30,000 people who have arrived in the UK via small boats across the Channel so far in 2024.
The UK, as well as other European nations, including Germany, France, and the Netherlands, have in recent years taken tougher stances on migration.
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However, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has often described his government’s migration policies as a way to combat the country’s low birthrate.
The government’s new policy simplifies the administrative processes for short and long-term visas and provides migrants with additional workplace protections.
It also extends a visa offered previously to job-seekers for three months to one year.
Many migrants make a living in Spain’s underground economy as fruit pickers, caretakers, delivery drivers, or other low-paid jobs.
Migration minister Ms Saiz said the government’s new policy would help prevent abuse and “serve to combat mafias, fraud and the violation of rights”.
World
Alec Baldwin’s Rust premieres three years after fatal shooting – but cinematographer’s mother refuses to attend
Alec Baldwin’s Western film Rust has premiered at a festival in Poland, three years after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on set.
The movie debuted at the Camerimage Festival in Poland, an event focusing on achievements in cinematography, to an audience of a few hundred – a more low-key affair than the typical fanfare of Hollywood releases.
Director Joel Souza, who was wounded in the shooting, said he hoped the completed film would now be a tribute to Ms Hutchins – who died after a prop gun held by Baldwin went off during filming in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021.
Rust director Joel Souza attended the film’s premiere in Poland. Pic: Reuters
Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter and went on trial in July – but the case was dismissed in dramatic fashion during the hearing after the prosecution was accused of concealing ammunition evidence.
The star did not attend the premiere in Poland.
Speaking beforehand, Souza said it “wasn’t an easy decision by any means” to continue the film after Hutchins’s death, “but it became important to me and important to her husband that people see her final work”.
The church scene they were working on when Hutchins was shot has gone from the film, he said.
“It doesn’t exist anymore. We were never going to finish that… I changed the script and so I wiped that out of it.”
Cinematographer’s mother criticises Baldwin
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Pic: Swen Studios/Handout via Reuters
Bianca Cline, the cinematographer who completed the film, also attended the event.
Ms Hutchins’s mother Olga Solovey, who has filed a lawsuit against Baldwin, did not attend and criticised the star for allegedly “unjustly” profiting from the tragedy.
In a statement issued by her lawyer, Gloria Allred, she said she had always hoped to watch her daughter’s “work come alive on screen” alongside her.
However, this opportunity was “ripped away”, she said.
Ms Solovey said Baldwin had not apologised to her and that her pain was increased by his “refusal to take responsibility”. She said there had been “no justice” for her daughter.
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Rust’s armourer Hannah Gutierrez, who was in charge of weapons on the set, was jailed for 18 months earlier this year, after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter during a trial separate to Baldwin’s. She is appealing the sentence.
Rust is billed as the story of a 13-year-old boy who, left to fend for himself and his younger brother following their parents’ deaths in 1880s Wyoming, goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather after being sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.
The Polish festival’s ticketing website reportedly crashed on Tuesday morning due to high demand for tickets to the world premiere.
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