The UK government said on Wednesday it would begin training Ukrainian pilots on Nato-standard fighter jets.
CNN understands this will be the first official training program for Ukrainian pilots on Western fighters.
However, there was no mention of providing the fighter jets to Ukraine, as asked by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The announcement comes on a day Zelensky is due to visit Britain for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on February 24 last year. This will be his second trip outside Ukraine since then.
Wednesday’s announcement from Downing Street said: “As part of today’s talks, the prime minister will offer to strengthen the UK’s training offer for Ukrainian troops, including expanding fighter jet pilots to ensure Including that Ukraine can better protect its skies in the future.”
“The training will ensure pilots will be able to fly sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future.”
The US has not yet started any training programs for Ukrainian pilots, Brigadier General Pat Ryder confirmed last month,
Also on Wednesday, the UK government announced it would provide “long-range capabilities” to Ukraine, without going into details.
“It will hinder Russia’s ability to continuously target Ukrainian civilians and critical national infrastructure and help ease pressure on Ukraine’s border.”