UK: Allies must ‘double down’ and send Ukraine tanks, jets

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s top diplomat says Western allies should send tanks, planes and other heavy weapons to Ukraine, saying “inaction would be the greatest provocation.” NATO nations have supplied Ukraine with military supplies including missiles and armored vehicles. But so far they have been reluctant to send fighter planes for fear of escalating the conflict. U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Wednesday that “this is a time for courage, not caution.” Despite Truss’s call for jets, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman says there are “no plans” for the U.K. to send planes to Ukraine. Truss also says Russia’s attack on Ukraine must be a wake-up call for international institutions. She calls for a new focus on “military strength, economic security and deeper global alliances.”