‘Don’t trust Russian claims on Kyiv withdrawal,’ says Dominic Raab

Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has warned that Russia’s announcement that it is scaling back operations around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, should be treated with caution.

The Russians said the move was intended to “increase mutual trust” in face-to-face peace talks which resumed in Istanbul on Tuesday.

Mr Raab told Sky News: “We judge the Russian military machine by its actions, not its words. There is obviously skepticism that it will regroup to attack again … I don’t think you can trust what is coming out of the mouth of Putin’s war machine.”

The deputy PM also said reports that Russia was planning to deploy mercenaries from the Wagner Group and from Syria could be a sign of Russian weakness.

“It is a worrying sign but it also probably shows you how dependent they have become on other fighters because of the weakness and fragility of the professional forces - and they are reliant on conscripts - which we are starting to see play out a bit in Ukraine,” he said.

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