TOP HEADLINES

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has won a British pledge to train Ukrainian pilots on advanced NATO fighter jets, a major step up in Western military support, while in London, the first stop on his European tour to drum up aid.

• The Ukrainian leader urged other Western nations to give Ukraine "wings for freedom" by sending combat aircraft to bolster Kyiv's war efforts during his in-person address to British parliament, only the second time he has left Ukraine since the conflict's start. 

• Zelenskyy was set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris later on Wednesday and to ask a European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday for more arms and solid measures for Ukraine to join the bloc.

• British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's office had already pledged to accelerate its supply of military equipment to Kyiv, including longer range weapons, but a spokesperson said no decision had been taken on supplying Ukraine with combat aircraft.

• Zelenskiy also met the UK's King Charles at Buckingham Palace. "We've all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long, I can't tell you," said the new monarch.

• The White House has dismissed a blog post by a U.S. investigative journalist alleging the U.S. was behind explosions of the Nord Stream gas pipelines as "utterly false and complete fiction."

• Russia is expected to target the northeastern Kharkiv or southern Zaporizhzhia regions in its new offensive, according to Ukraine national security chief Oleksiy Danilov. Ukraine's military has said that more than 30 towns and villages in Kharkiv and 20 communities in Zaporizhzhia had recently come under fire.

• Ukraine's military claimed on Tuesday that that 1,030 Russian troops were killed over 24 hours, the highest daily death toll of the conflict, while Russia said there were 6,500 Ukrainian casualties in January. The figures have not been confirmed.

• The latest U.S. package of weapons to Kyiv is expected to include longer-range rockets, which would allow Ukraine to target Russian supply lines in all of its occupied territories. 

• Germany has approved the delivery of 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine from industry stocks, a larger amount than previously announced, government sources told Reuters.

• Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands will put in money to restore at least 100 old Leopard 1 tanks which will then be sent to Ukraine, according to a joint statement.

• Russia said Western arms shipments to Ukraine were drawing NATO countries further into the war, triggering a potentially "unpredictable" level of escalation.

• Switzerland is considering breaking with centuries of neutrality amid public pressure over Ukraine, with the government weighing whether to end a ban on exports of Swiss weapons to war zones.

• Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has said that Russia should not be allowed to have a delegation at the Paris 2024 Olympics as long as the conflict continues.

IN DETAIL

Zelenskyy comes to London

President Zelenskyy urged Britain and others Western allies to give Ukraine "wings for freedom" by sending fighter jets to Kyiv, as he hoped to overcome Western reluctance to do so on the London leg of his surprise whirlwind European tour. 

Western countries have vowed to increase their military support for Ukraine in recent weeks, but have so far pushed back against demands it send Kyiv fighter jets.

The UK has taken a similar stance, saying that sending the jets was not "the right approach" for now, but has signaled that stance could change.

On his second foreign visit since Russia launched its conflict in Ukraine on February 24, Zelenskyy praised Britain and the West for their support in an address to lawmakers at parliament's Westminster Hall in London.

But, offering an air force helmet with the message "we have freedom, give us wings to protect it" to the speaker of the House of Commons, the lower house of parliament, Zelenskyy went on to call for the West to deliver up combat aircraft.

"I appeal to you and the world, with simple and yet the most important words - combat aircraft for Ukraine, wings for freedom."

In a whistle-stop tour, Zelenskyy was greeted by Sunak at the airport before he entered the Number 10 Downing Street office to applause from onlookers and staff.

"I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future," Sunak said.

Prior to Zelenskyy's arrival, Sunak's office pledged to expand the training of Ukrainian troops to include fighter jet pilots and marines, saying that it would ensure Ukrainian pilots were able to fly "sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future."

But a spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said no decision had been taken on supplying Ukraine with combat aircraft.

"The prime minister has tasked the defense secretary with investigating what jets we might be able to give, but to be clear this is a long-term solution, rather than a short-term capability which is what Ukraine needs most now."

Zelenskiy was expected in Paris later on Wednesday and then Brussels.

The visits come as Russia is sending tens of thousands of recently mobilized troops to Ukraine's east in a bid to break through Ukrainian defenses ahead of Kyiv's expected counter offensive.

The counter attack will be bolstered by new Western weapon deliveries, with Ukraine's allies pledging hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles. However, they have said it will take time to train Ukrainian forces to use them.