UK's Boris Johnson fears Putin could ‘twist the knife’ as Russian forces falter

British PM says Russian leader could inflict further damage despite his stuttering campaign in Ukraine

Boris Johnson told senior UK ministers that Russian leader Vladimir Putin could ‘twist the knife’ and inflict more destruction on Ukraine. Reuters

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Britain is to step up military aid to Ukraine as Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Vladimir Putin could still seek to “twist the knife” despite Russia’s faltering campaign.

The Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, told the Cabinet that Britain’s support was moving to a “new phase” as the Ukrainians sought to retake territory captured by the Russians.

The prime minister’s spokesman said “all possible options” were being analysed to ensure the Ukrainians had the equipment they needed while avoiding any “escalatory effects”.

Mr Johnson told the weekly meeting of senior ministers at No 10 Downing Street that, while the Russian campaign continued to fail, Mr Putin could inflict further damage in an attempt to “twist the knife”.

He said it was important to maintain military and economic pressure on the Russian regime and that a ceasefire alone would not be enough for the UK to lift its sanctions.

In call on Tuesday, the Prime Minister and other leaders of the “Quint” – the US, France, Germany and Italy – reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the government in Kyiv while reducing their dependence on Russian oil and gas.

Earlier, ministers were briefed by the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, Sir Simon Gass, who said the Russian campaign continued to be beset by poor morale as members of the regime sought to apportion blame for its failures.

A Ukrainian soldier fires his rifle from a trench at the front east of Kharkiv in the north of Ukraine, which continues to be shelled by Russian forces. AFP

A gas station on fire in Kharkiv after Russian ttack on the northern city. AFP

A medieval suit of armour 'stands guard' at a a Ukrainian checkpoint, on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv. AP Photo

Ukrainian refugees wait in line to cross the border into Poland at Shehyni. Reuters

Destroyed Russian armoured vehicles on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP Photo

A resident passes apartment buildings destroyed by Russian attacks in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine. Reuters

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, standing, welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address the House of Representatives via video link at Parliament House in Canberra. Mr Zelenskyy appealed directly to Australian legislators for more help in the war against Russia, including armoured vehicles and tougher sanctions. AP

Fire lights up the sky east of Kharkiv, where Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian troops from a motorway outside the country's second-largest city. AFP

A destroyed Russian tank in the village of Lukianivka near Kyiv. AFP

Passengers arriving from Moscow at Manas International Airport, Bishkek, Kyrgyrzstan. Hundreds of thousands of citizens of former Soviet countries in Central Asia are facing difficult choices: shrinking work opportunities in Russia and wages in the weakened rouble versus a return to the homeland where they have family homes, but even fewer job prospects. AFP

Fire and smoke light up the sky east of Kharkiv as Ukrainian forces push back Russian troops from a motorway outside the country's second-largest city. AFP

A Ukrainian soldier shoots at the Russian positions not far from the capital Kyiv. EPA

A car marked with the English letter 'Z' is found destroyed at the central Ukrainian train station that was used as a Russian base in Trostyanets. Ukrainian forces said they had retaken the north-eastern town from the Russians. Getty Images

Rescue workers at the site of the regional administration building hit by Russian cruise missiles, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Reuters

A dog looks at cars passing by on the road near a house painted with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv. AP Photo

A soldier poses for the picture in Kyiv, Ukraine, while standing guard amid the destruction caused after shelling of a shopping center. AP Photo

A Ukrainian serviceman stands near a destroyed Russian tank in the north-eastern city of Trostianets. AFP

A worker pushes a cart past graves of Ukrainian soldiers who were killed in battle during Russia’s attack on Ukraine, at the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv. Reuters

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows damaged apartment buildings and homes in Mariupol. AP

A resident takes photos of a destroyed Russian tank next to the railway station where the Russian forces were stationed, in Trostyanets, a town recaptured by the Ukrainian army. EPA

A rescuer clears the rubble of a warehouse containing more than 50,000 tons of deep-frozen food in the town of Brovary, north of Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, after it was destroyed by Russian shelling. AFP

A Ukrainian army vehicle carries a Russian tank in Trostyanets. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers carry a coffin during the funeral ceremony of a comrade in Odesa. EPA

A man walks with his dog near an apartment building damaged by shelling from fighting on the outskirts of Mariupol. AP Photo

Members of the Danish Parliament attend the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky's speech to the Danish Parliament via a video link, at the Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. EPA

A satellite image shows crowds outside a Metro grocery store in Mariupol. Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opens Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul. President Erdogan told the delegations that "both parties have legitimate concerns." AFP

Members of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps fire a howitzer at a position in the Zaporizhzhia region. Reuters

Ukrainian refugees are helped by volunteers upon their arrival at Amsterdam Central station by train from Berlin. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers ride an armoured people carrier through the town of Trostsyanets, about 400 kilometres east of Kyiv. AP Photo

Firefighters work amid the debris of residential houses that were destroyed by Russian shelling in a settlement outside Kharkiv. Reuters

President Joe Biden said that he is not advocating for regime change in Moscow after saying Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power." AP Photo

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a warehouse after it was hit by Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. More than half of Kharkiv's 1.4 million people have fled the city since Russia's invasion on February 24. Getty Images

Local residents pass by a destroyed Russian tank in the town of Trostyanets, east of capital Kyiv, Ukraine. The monument to the Second World War is seen in background. AP Photo

A pro-Russian troop service member walks near a destroyed apartment building in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters

Mykhaylo, 8, who was taken away from his widowed mother along with his 9-year-old brother and 16-year-old sister, plays with a ball in the garden of a state shelter in Lviv. Reuters

Halyna Falko, 52, talks to reporters while looking at the destruction caused after a Russian attack inside her house near Brovary, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP Photo

Curtains flutter in the wind at a building that was damaged by shelling in a neighbourhood that has been largely abandoned and left without water, gas and heating, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Reuters

People, mainly women and children, arrive at Przemysl on a train from Odesa in war-torn Ukraine in Przemysl, Poland. The Polish government has said it may spend €24 billion this year hosting refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, and is seeking more support from the European Union. Getty Images

A woman walks a dog past the so-called "people's installation to a Russian soldier" nicknamed the "polite people" created by residents in the backyard of their apartment building in the town of Podolsk, outside Moscow. AFP

Overnight, British military intelligence said Russia was expected to send 1,000 mercenaries from the notorious Wagner Group to join combat operations in eastern Ukraine where they continued to suffer heavy casualties.

The private military company – which is already the subject of UK sanctions – had already reportedly been given the task, so far unsuccessfully, with tracking down and assassinating President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Western officials said there appeared to be an “element of desperation” about the move.

“They have a fearsome reputation but that is often for not adhering to the rule law and the law of armed conflict,” one official said.

“If you are reaching for 1,000 Wagner troops thinking that is going to be crucial to succeeding in operations in the Donbas, it should give pause for thought as to how capable your broader force is.”

Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul for their first face-to-face talks in two weeks, in a further attempt to establish sufficient common ground to end the fighting.

Western officials reacted with scepticism to Russia’s announcement that it was “fundamentally” scaling back operations around Kyiv to “increase mutual trust” in the talks process.

“Nothing that we have seen so far has demonstrated to us that President Putin and his colleagues are particularly serious about that. It is more of a tactical exercise playing for time,” one official said.

It come after an announcement last week by Moscow that it was focusing efforts on “liberating” the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, currently part-held by pro-Russian separatists.

“Even if they do do what they say they are going to do that is not in any shape or form a cessation of hostilities,” the official said.

“I think we can continue to see as they refocus efforts on the Donbas, if that’s what they do, continued death and destruction there.”

Among those present at the talks in Istanbul in an apparently unspecified role was Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, a long-standing associate of Mr Putin.

His appearance followed reports overnight that he and two Ukrainian negotiators may have been poisoned during an earlier round of talks.

The Bellingcat investigative website said the three suffered eye pain and skin irritation consistent with chemical poisoning after attending peace talks on March 3.

There was speculation that he may have been targeted by hardliners in Moscow after attempting to negotiate humanitarian corridors.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the claims, saying they “do not correspond to reality,” but Downing Street described the allegations as “very concerning”.

“We’re working with international partners to establish more information,” Mr Johnson’s official spokesman said.

The spokesman did not rule out reports that the UK, along with the US and Turkey, could act as guarantors of Ukrainian security if it agreed to neutrality as part of any peace settlement.

“As far as I am aware there has been no formal request for that,” the spokesman said.

“We would listen very carefully for any request of UK involvement in a long-term peaceful solution but there has been nothing formal on that front.”