Ukraine urged not to back down
Britain is concerned that the US, France and Germany will push Ukraine to “settle” and make significant concessions in peace talks with Russia.
A senior government source said there were concerns that allies were “overeager” to secure an early peace deal, adding a settlement should be reached only when Ukraine is in the strongest possible position.
In a phone call at the weekend, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned President Volodymyr Zelensky that Vladimir Putin was a “liar and a bully” who would use talks to “wear you down and force you to make concessions”.
Mr Zelensky is also understood to have raised concerns about the progress of the talks and whether Moscow was exploiting them to reposition and strengthen its forces.
“Some of our allies may be too eager for him (Mr Zelensky) to settle,” a government source said, singling out France, Germany and the US. “We think Ukraine needs to be in the strongest possible position militarily before those talks can take place.”
The source said this could lead to significant concessions on territory, sanctions and the pursuit of Mr Putin as a potential war criminal.
Ministers believe there must be no “easy offramp” for Mr Putin, while Mr Johnson has said he wants allies to ramp up the sanctions in place until all Russian forces have left Ukraine, including Crimea.
Mr Zelensky has previously accused Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, of “mistakes” in his dealings with the Kremlin and said that President Emmanuel Macron of France is afraid of Russia. Mr Putin has demanded recognition for Crimea, which was illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. He also wants a new status for Russian-backed separatist regimes in the breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine. In other developments: • Mr Putin ba cked down on his threat to cut off gas supplies to Europe unless they were paid for in Russian roubles.
• The city of Mariupol is likely to fall to Russian forces in a matter of days, American analysts believe.
• Russian troops are pulling out of Chernobyl after soldiers suffered radiation sickness digging trenches.
• The head of French military intelligence has been dismissed amid claims that his agency failed to predict the invasion of Ukraine.
• Britain has sanctioned a further 14 Russians, including a general known as the “Butcher of Mariupol”.
Meanwhile, the latest round of peace talks on Friday were not expected to reach a deal. Mr Zelensky says peace can be achieved only by direct talks between himself and Mr Putin.