BRUSSELS, February 9. /TASS/. The EU summit is not going to provide any concrete decisions on the delivery of warplanes to Ukraine and discussions with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will be of a "preliminary, motivational" nature, a diplomatic source from one of the European missions in Brussels told TASS on Thursday.
According to the source, discussions on this topic will continue in Brussels on February 14-15 during a meeting among defense ministers from NATO member states.
"There will be no material decisions at the [EU] summit," he said. "Zelensky is arriving for a preliminary motivational talk. All operational aspects will be discussed later at the meeting of NATO defense ministers."
The source noted that the Ukrainian president’s visit should play "an important role in supporting the EU leaders' readiness to carry on with their comprehensive backing of Ukraine."
"This is why a face-to-face meeting was necessary, because it was aimed at fully conveying Zelensky's emotional charge," he said, adding that the issue of fighter jets was previously discussed by Zelensky in London and Paris.
"The planes are an important symbol of readiness to considerably up the ante and serve as an indication to Ukraine that it will receive everything necessary for its defense," the source added.
On January 31, US President Joe Biden stated that Washington would not supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on February 8, before his meeting in London with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, that Kiev was offered to be provided with UK-based training of Ukrainian marines and pilots of fighter jets that are in military service with NATO.
Sunak’s spokesman later specified that the UK government had not yet made a decision on the supplies of fighter jets to Ukraine and this issue would be scrutinized in every aspect.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius repeatedly stated that Berlin was not going to deliver fighter jets to Kiev.