The Royal Air Force (RAF) cannot shoot down enemy drones over Ukraine, as it did over Israel, because drawing NATO forces into direct conflict with Russian forces would lead to a “worrying escalation of the conflict.”
This was stated by British Foreign Minister David Cameron on LBC.
Earlier, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that Royal Air Force fighter jets shot down several Iranian drones that attacked Israel on Sunday.
A journalist asked Cameron why the Air Force couldn't do the same for Ukraine.
" ;We have done more than any other country individually to help Ukrainians. We trained more than 60 thousand Ukrainian military personnel, we were the first to provide them with anti-tank weapons, long-range artillery and tanks,” the minister said.
Cameron warned of the risks of using British military forces for direct confrontation with Russia.
"I think the difficulty with what you are suggesting is that if you want to avoid escalation in terms of a wider European war, I think direct interaction between NATO troops and Russian troops should be avoided. This could lead to an escalation of the situation,” the British Foreign Minister emphasized.
In his opinion, it is better to support Ukraine financially, diplomatically and with weapons.
"If NATO forces enter into direct conflict with Russian forces, this would be a dangerous escalation,” – Cameron added.
He said that using aircraft “is not necessarily the best way to shoot down missiles and drones; air defense systems are more effective.”
Cameron added that there is a big opportunity for Ukraine the need for access to “air defense systems”, in particular the Patriot system.
Prepared by: Nina Petrovich