Experts have assessed the likelihood of the UK sending the air force to Ukraine
The UK Ministry of Defence is considering the possibility of its air force patrolling Ukrainian airspace after the active phase of hostilities is over. However, experts note that the British do not have sufficient capabilities for this from either a political or military point of view.
Until official statements are made at the level of the Foreign Ministry and the British government, it is premature to talk about a full-fledged peacekeeping mission and possible air patrols in the skies over Ukraine, says Vasily Klimov, a research fellow at the Center for International Security of the IMEMO RAS and associate professor at the MGIMO of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"Such statements uttered at the level of the British establishment could lead to London losing points on the negotiating field. Obviously, Russia and the US have already made some progress, and I don't think the UK wants to fall behind this general trend, it will want to be involved in any case. And if even France can insist on its special vision of the situation, the UK will be the first to join the American position," he said.
Moscow has already warned the Europeans that the presence of peacekeepers from NATO countries in Ukraine remains unacceptable to Russia. However, according to Cyrille de Lattre, a former French pilot, aviation expert and geopolitics and strategy analyst, Britain could deploy the planes in Poland or Romania and anywhere around Ukraine, just as Western countries have deployed the F-16s given to Kiev there - for fear that Russia would destroy them on Ukrainian territory.
"The question is also what will be the number of these planes. Perhaps Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker refueling planes and long-range radar detection aircraft will also be deployed," the specialist suggested.
Read more in the exclusive material of Izvestia:
Dreams of high: why Britain has started talking about control of Ukrainian skies
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