'Wings for freedom'

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( February 09, 2023 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [UK to investigate what jets it could send to Ukraine as PM answers plea to ‘give us wings of freedom’]( [Rishi Sunak]( has opened the door to sending fighter [jets]( to Ukraine after Volodymyr [Zelensky]( called for [“powerful English planes” to boost his country’s war effort](. During a surprise trip to the UK, the Ukrainian leader said Mr Sunak had conveyed to him his “desire” to provide the aircraft. But Downing Street played down the idea that the planes could be given soon, describing the idea as a “long-term” possibility. The prime minister said that jets were “part of the conversation”, but added that [training pilots]( takes many years, and that the deployment of some of the UK’s military aircraft is governed by treaties “with multiple other countries”. Mr Sunak came under fresh [pressure from his predecessor Boris Johnson](, who said that when it comes to providing Ukraine with fighter jets, “the faster we do it, the better”, adding that “helping the Ukrainians now is a massive down-payment on future security”.   2 / [Death toll in Turkey-Syria earthquake surpasses 15,000]( Rescue workers continue to pull survivors from the rubble after buildings were flattened by quakes and tremors 3 /[Search expert’s river hunt ends without solving missing Nicola Bulley ‘mystery’]( Peter Faulding was called in by the family to help find Ms Bulley 4 /[Archie Battersbee died as result of prank or experiment gone wrong, coroner rules]( ‘Complex’ 12-year-old put his head in a noose or cord round his neck ‘out of curiosity’, leading to accidental death, inquest told 5 /[North Korea shows off unprecedented display of nuclear might in surprise night-time military parade]( North Korea displays around 11 Hwasong-17 ICBM missiles in largest military parade yet     The Big Question What fighter jets has Volodymyr Zelensky asked for and what might he get? Addressing MPs in a packed Westminster Hall, [Volodymyr Zelensky]( stressed that he was [“thanking [us] in advance for powerful English planes”](. He then presented speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle with the helmet of a Ukrainian pilot inscribed: “We have freedom. Give us wings to protect it.” Hours earlier, [Rishi Sunak]( had announced that Britain would [offer training to]( Ukrainian pilots to fly modern warplanes: they are likely to undergo courses on RAF Hawks, Eurofighter Typhoons and F-35 Lightnings. There is already a plan in place to train Ukrainian helicopter pilots at the Shawbury base in Shropshire, as Air Marshal Sir Richard Knighton confirmed to the Commons defence committee last week. Last month, French defence minister Sebastien Lecornu said his country was considering a request to train Ukrainian pilots on French warplanes, while in the US, Congress has approved $100m (£83m) to train Ukrainians on American planes as part of the National Defence Authorization Act. 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