A summit between Boris Johnson and Vladimir Putin might be possible if Russia’s president ceases “malign activity” against the UK and its allies, the defence secretary has signalled.
Ben Wallace said it was important to offer a “path out, a path to improvement” and called a landmark meeting between Mr Putin and US President Joe Biden this week a “really welcome start“.
But the senior minister told Sky News that Western powers would judge Moscow on what it does next before any warming of ties, which have been brought to a post-Cold War low by Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the Salisbury spy poisonings.
Image: The troops were equipped with armoured vehicles, a helicopter and a small drone. Pic: MOD
Asked if he thought the Kremlin might want relations with the UK to improve, the defence secretary said: “I hope so. But we will judge them on their actions. Diplomacy is only valuable if the actions that follow actually make a difference.”
Mr Wallace, who spoke on a two-day trip to Serbia this week, the first by a British defence secretary, also pointed to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
“We, unfortunately, still see malign activity. But I think we will judge President Putin by his actions,” he said.
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As to whether there was a chance of a UK-Russia summit, Mr Wallace indicated it was a possibility if the Russian president showed some positive signs of change.
“Boris Johnson is clearly open to meet anyone where there is an important step to be made and stepping towards normalising relations with Russia will obviously and hopefully come, but it comes following certain actions,” he said.
Image: Troops practised how to respond to a terrorist attack on a convoy and deal with rioting civilians. Pic: MOD
“Crimea is still illegally occupied in Ukraine and there are still things to resolve.”
Pressed again on whether he hoped such a summit could possibly happen, the defence secretary said: “I don’t want a permanent friction between Russia and the West. That is not in anybody’s interest.
“It is not in the interests of the Russian people, it’s not in the interests of the economy of Russia, it’s not in the interests of my population and constituents either.
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PM on ‘disappointing’ Russia relationship
“Listen, no one wants conflict. No one wants friction but that is not cost-free, you have to lift that based on behaviours.”
He said the Kremlin must recognise and respect “other people’s sovereignty and the international rule of law” before any improvement in relations, such as a lifting of sanctions, could happen.
Image: Mr Wallace is the first UK defence secretary to make an official visit to Serbia. Pic: MOD
“But we’ve always got to offer people a path out, a path to improvement and I think that bilateral between President Biden and President Putin is a really welcome start,” Mr Wallace added, referring to the summit in Geneva on Wednesday.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a multinational military exercise at a base in the south of Serbia, about six miles from the border with Kosovo.
Troops, equipped with armoured vehicles, a helicopter and a small drone, practised how to respond to a terrorist attack on a convoy and deal with rioting civilians, as Mr Wallace, Serbian defence minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and other officials watched from a stand.
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With 70 British soldiers involved, the UK was the largest foreign contributor to the exercise – dubbed “Platinum Wolf” – which takes place across two weeks and, as well as Serbian forces, includes troops from eight other nations, such as France and the United States.
The visit by Mr Wallace is evidence of the UK’s desire to strengthen ties with a country it once bombed as part of a NATO mission during the Kosovo War more than 20 years ago, but which it previously fought alongside during both world wars.
“The Balkans matter for the security of Europe,” Mr Wallace said. “It’s always mattered. That is why 80 years ago we were standing on hills together side by side pushing back the Nazis. That importance, that geographic importance, that strategic importance still matters today.”
Image: Mr Wallace unveiled a memorial to the rescue of thousands of airmen, partisans and civilians from Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia during the Second World War. Pic: MOD
Underlining the challenges in this region, at the same time as British troops train with the Serbian military, forces from Serbia are conducting an exercise with their Russian and Belarussian counterparts in Russia.
Asked whose forces Serbia liked training with more – British or Russian – the Serbian defence minister told Sky News: “We are militarily neutral, so we don’t have to prefer to train with either, we can choose both and that’s our advantage.
He added: “We get the best from East and West in training capabilities, in learning about the tactics… As a militarily neutral country we want to work with everyone in order to get our army as professional as possible.”
Two Cambodian soldiers have been returned by Thailand ahead of a key meeting aimed at maintaining a ceasefire between the countries.
In Bangkok, Thai government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said on Friday that two Cambodian soldiers had been sent back, and the remaining 18 were being processed for violating immigration law.
“The Cambodian soldiers intruded on Thai territory and the army took them into custody, treating them based on humanitarian principles,” he said.
In a statement, the Cambodian defence ministry asked Thailandto return all the detained soldiers.
“Cambodiais actively engaging in negotiations to secure their release, and reiterates its firm call for their immediate and unconditional release in accordance with the international humanitarian law,” a ministry spokesperson said.
It follows days of deadly fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border which saw at least 43 people killed and left over 300,000 people displaced.
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July: Sky at scene of deadly rocket attack
The violence – the worst fighting between the neighbours in over a decade – ended with a truce reached on Monday following a push from Malaysia and calls from US President Donald Trump who threatened to hold off tariff negotiations with both countries until fighting ceased.
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Thailand and Cambodia previously faced tariffs of 36% for sending goods to the US, their largest export markets.
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Officials from both Thailand and Cambodia will be meeting in Malaysia next week for talks aimed at maintaining the ceasefire along the disputed border.
The two nations have been at loggerheads over border areas for decades, and simmering tensions escalated into an exchange of gunfire, shelling and rockets on last week, with both sides accusing one another of initiating the violence.
Both countries recalled their ambassadors, and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia.
Relations between the pair deteriorated sharply after an armed confrontation in May that killed a Cambodian soldier. Nationalist passions on both sides have further inflamed the situation.
Two senior US officials will visit Gaza later today, amid growing concerns about the scale of the humanitarian crisis.
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee will inspect a food distribution site – and report back to the president immediately.
Our US correspondent David Blevins says the visit “is not unprecedented but is highly unusual … due to obvious security concerns and political sensitivities”.
He added: “I think it reflects the growing concern there is here in the United States about the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe.”
Image: Steve Witkoff met Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday. Pic: US embassy in Jerusalem
Aid workers on the ground have warned that a “politically manmade famine” is taking place in the territory.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, told The World With Yalda Hakim that “more and more people will continue to die” unless there is urgent change.
Donald Trumphas expressed frustration at the lack of aid reaching Palestinians and has repeatedly blamed Hamas– but US government analysis has found no evidence that the militant group is systemically stealing supplies.
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He told reporters yesterday: “It’s terrible what’s occurring there. People are very hungry, you know.
“The United States gave $60m … for food. And, it’s a shame because … I don’t see the results of it. Part of the problem is Hamas is taking the money and they’re taking the food.”
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Kids are ‘dying silently of hunger’
On Thursday, Mr Witkoff arrived in Israel and held discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu– the first meeting between the pair since both Israel and the US withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar a week ago.
At the time, he claimed that Hamas “shows a lack of desire” to reach a truce.
Under heavy international pressure, Israel has paused fighting in parts of Gaza and airdropped food – although the volume of supplies remains far lower than what aid organisations say is needed.
Image: Palestinians rush to collect humanitarian aid airdropped in central Gaza. Pic: AP
While more aid trucks have entered Gaza, nearly all the lorries are stripped of their cargo by crowds of Palestinians desperate for food, or looted by armed gangs.
The alternative food distribution system run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has also been marred by violence.
Doctor Tom Adamkiewicz, a paediatrician working at Nasser Hospital in Gaza, told Sky News that the majority of the hospital’s patients have signs of malnutrition – and “many children are passing out literally during the day and injuring themselves”.
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Gazan boy arrives in UK for treatment
Separately, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul also arrived in Israel on Thursday on a two-day trip that will also take him to the occupied West Bank.
Germany, traditionally a staunch ally of Israel, has been increasingly critical. Mr Wadephul warned that Israel is “increasingly finding itself in a minority position”.
But he stopped short of moving towards recognising a Palestinian state, something his allies France, the UK and Canada have vowed to do in Septemberif certain conditions are met.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s prime minister has called on the EU to “freeze” its trade agreement with Israel – with Ulf Kristersson describing the situation in Gaza as “utterly deplorable”.
After visiting Gaza, Mr Witkoff will travel to Russia. He has held extensive talks in Moscow with Vladimir Putin in the past.
The US president has given his Russian counterpart until 8 August to reach a deal to halt the fighting in Ukraine, or else he will impose economic sanctions.
A 15-year-old boy from Gaza brought to the UK for urgent medical treatment has told Sky News of his joy and relief.
Majd Alshagnobi arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport with his mother and two siblings to a hero’s welcome on Wednesday evening, with well-wishers bearing flowers, gifts, and banners.
It has been a tortuous wait for the teenager, who suffered severe facial injuries in February 2024 when Israeli tank shells exploded near him and a group of friends.
Majd lost part of his face as well as his entire jaw and all his teeth. It has left him and his family traumatised.
His mother, Islam, told me that doctors at the Mamadani hospital in Gaza were shocked that her son survived the incident.
“When Majd first got to the hospital, they thought he was dead because of the severities of the injuries on his face and leg,” she said. “But when he raised his arm, they realised he was still alive.
“All the operating rooms were busy, so they carried out the operation in the kitchen to save him.
“It was very difficult for him to breathe, and they had to feed him through tubes and syringes through his nose. He really suffered.”
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Sky News investigates: Gaza’s deadliest days
Majd stood awestruck at the window of the small central London apartment where his family had been accommodated. He wore a blue surgical mask but gently pulled it down to reveal a smile.
“Thank God I have the opportunity to receive treatment here… that’s the reason I have come. To get treatment,” he said. “Since I arrived, I have felt so much happier.
“We’ve been greeted in such a nice way, with gifts and things to help us.”
But it will take time for the young football fan to come to terms with the trauma he has suffered.
When I ask him what he remembers from his time in Gaza, he replies: “I saw dogs eating bodies and I was terrified, and I thought I was going to die. Stuff like that…”
Image: Majd Alshagnobi’s mother Islam
His mother, who has had to leave two of her children in Gaza with their father, tells me: “Right now my family in Gaza live in tents. We’ve lost our home, we’ve lost our memories, we’ve lost our dreams. Nothing is left in Gaza.
“My two children who are still in Gaza with their father, every day I wake up in fear that they have been killed. Anything could happen to them in Gaza.”
Around 5,000 children have been evacuated from Gaza, with the majority going to Egypt and Gulf countries.
Majd is the third child to come to the UK with the help of the charity Project Pure Hope.
The group of volunteers have been campaigning successive governments for the last 20 months to create a scheme which would allow for the evacuation of 30 to 50 children.
The charity has raised the money to bring the children and their families to the UK, and cover their medical costs, privately.
Last week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the government was “accelerating efforts” to evacuate Gazan children who need urgent medical care in the UK.
Omar Din, the co-founder of Project Pure Hope, says it is time for the government to step in and take responsibility.
“We’re hoping following the prime minister’s announcement last Friday, that in the coming days we’ll have some concrete actions,” he said. “The more we wait, the more children die who we could be saving.
“We’ve done this privately because there was no other option available but myself, and members of my founding team, have done lots of this work for Ukrainian refugees previously. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be doing that for Gazans.”