LONDON - The quickest a pilot could learn to fly a British fighter jet is 35 months, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman said on Thursday, elaborating on the practical issues Britain has cited in supplying Ukraine with jets to fight Russia.

Britain has said its not currently practical to send Ukraine UK fighter jets, given the complexity of the jets and the length of time it takes to train pilots.

"We will continue listening to the Ukrainians and consider what is right for the long term, but - if helpful to understand the situation - the fastest training programme for a new pilot is approximately 35 months," the spokesman told reporters.

"The current UK fast jet training programme takes five years," he added.

On Wednesday, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Britain had not made a "solid decision" not to send its fighter jets to Ukraine but does not think it is the right approach at the moment.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout. Editing by Andrew MacAskill)