UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was discussing further support for Ukraine which potentially included fighter jets, but the first step was training Ukrainian pilots and the UK is to start doing this on Nato-standard aircraft.

The defence secretary dismissed suggestions made by former prime minister Boris Johnson that the UK could provide 100 Typhoon warplanes. Typhoons are made by a coalition of different countries and their permission would be needed before sending them on to Ukraine, he said.

Mr Wallace said he had a duty to ensure the UK and Nato had the aircraft needed for their own defence.

The UK's existing commitments, including air policing in the Baltic states and a squadron of Typhoons in Qatar, means there are not many jets left to spare. 1688เช็กชี่เกม

There are also large practicality issues including the training of pilots - which would take time even for those with combat experience.

Around 20 of the oldest Typhoons are due to be retired in 2025.