If Russia does not oppose, the United Kingdom could send Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters to patrol the skies of Ukraine within the framework of a peacekeeping mission. This was reported yesterday, 18 February by “The Times” newspaper.
The publication wrote that for official London, sending fighter aircraft is an easier option than deploying thousands of troops as “peacekeeping forces” on the ground. Therefore, the air force can be seen as an alternative way to reduce costs.
At the same time, the publication's sources emphasized that a significant investment, including the provision of the aircraft themselves and air defense systems, would be required to carry out the “air patrol mission”.
Furthermore, the article mentioned the statements of Sergey Lavrov, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, about the inacceptability for Moscow of any peace agreement that involves the deployment of NATO forces in Ukraine.
It is noted that the proposed mission to patrol the skies of Ukraine could be organized along the lines of similar missions in the Baltic states by NATO. According to a source in the Royal Air Force speaking to “The Times,” this option is preferred over creating a no-fly zone because it requires aircraft to monitor the airspace 24 hours a day.
In turn, speaking to the publication, a source in the British government emphasized that the “air policing” mission would be feasible, but it would require a significant number of fighter jets, as well as air defense systems to protect them.
Theoretically, dozens of Typhoon fighter jets could be readied to repel any attacks from Russia, while small “peacekeeping forces” from Britain and other European countries could provide ground defense. Another source indicated that transborder attacks could be monitored not by ground forces, but rather by sophisticated technologies.
