Rishi Sunak lays down a marker with offer to train Ukraine pilots

The idea has been firmly rejected by the US and Germany, but similar red lines have often been overturned

The British offer to train Ukrainian pilots on modern Nato fighter jets is a carefully couched hint to the rest of Nato that at some point it may have to provide modern jets to help Ukraine defend its airspace from the Russian air force.

The offer of Nato jets to Ukraine briefly surfaced as an idea after the controversy over the provision of tanks was settled with as many as 150 tanks to be offered within the next year.