Johnson-Putin summit possible if Russia ends ‘malign activity’, defence secretary says
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.
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.”
He said he remained concerned about an incident last month when the Russia-backed regime of Belarus forced a civilian airliner to land and seized a journalist on board.
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.
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.
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.
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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‘Mr Putin, are you a killer?’
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.”
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.”
A senior Hamas official has thanked President Donald Trump for his role in securing a peace deal with Hamas.
In an exclusive interview with Sky News’ lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim, senior Hamas official Dr Basem Naim also warned that former UK Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair would not be welcome in any post-war role for Gaza.
Dr Naim said a ceasefire would not have been possible without President Trump, but insisted he needed to continue to apply pressure to Israel to stick to the agreement.
He added that Hamas would be willing to step aside for a Palestinian body to govern a post-war Gaza, but that they would remain “on the ground” and would not be disarmed.
Dr Naim said in the interview: “Without the personal interference of President Trump in this case, I don’t think that it would have happened to have reached the end of the war.
“Therefore, yes, we thank President Trump and his personal efforts to interfere and to pressure Netanyahu to bring an end to this massacre and slaughtering.”
He added: “We believe and we hope that President Trump will continue to interfere personally and to exercise the maximum pressure on [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to fulfil the obligation.
“First, as according to the deal, and second, according to the international law as an occupying power, because I think without this, without this personal interference from President Trump, this will not happen.
“We have already seen Netanyahu speaking to the media, threatening to go to war again if this doesn’t happen, if that doesn’t happen.”
Donald Trump has been thanked for his role in securing a peace deal in Gaza. Pic: AP
Dr Naim said that weapons would only be handed over to the Palestinian state, with fighters integrated into the Palestinian National Army.
He reiterated that Hamas would not disarm as this could not guarantee the safety of Palestine.
Dr Naim said: “Our weapons are going to be handed over only to the hands of a Palestinian state, and our fighters can be integrated into the Palestinian National Army.
“No one has the right to deny us the right to resist the occupation of armies.”
He added: “We are not going to be disarmed as long as we are not sure that this will lead, by any other means, to having an independent self state which is able to defend itself.”
But he criticised plans for Sir Tony to play any role in the future of Gaza, saying that Hamas and Palestinians were angered by his role in previous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Dr Naim added: “When it comes to Tony Blair, unfortunately, we Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims and maybe others around the world have bad memories of him.
“We can still remember his role in killing, causing thousands or millions of deaths to innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“We can still remember him very well after destroying Iraq and Afghanistan.”
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Thousands of Gazans are heading north as Israeli troops pull back.
Under Mr Trump’s plans, Sir Tony would form part of an international supervisory body.
The international body, the Council of Peace or Board of Peace, would govern under plans approved by Mr Netanyahu.
The body would hold most power while overseeing the administration of Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs.
It would also hold the commanding role of directing reconstruction in Gaza.
Sir Tony Blair has been told he would not be welcome in a post-war Gaza
Dr Naim added that Hamas was satisfied Mr Trump’s plan would achieve peace in Gaza.
But he said it could never be fully satisfied after accusing Israel of genocide.
Israel has continually denied this, claiming it has been fighting Hamas terrorists to defend itself following the October 7 massacre in 2023.
On that day, Hamas gunmen stormed southern Israel killing 1,200 people and taking many Israelis hostage.
This is a historic moment for the Middle East. The coming days will be crucial.
Critical for the immediate success of Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan. But also for hopes it could lead to something even more important, progress towards a broader peace.
There is plenty that could still go wrong. But so far so good.
Follow the latest updates on the Gaza ceasefire deal
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‘Things moving rapidly’ in Gaza as ceasefire takes effect
Hamas seems ready to give up its hostages believing American assurances Israel will not start the war again when they have.
And Israel is withdrawing its forces on the lines outlined in the deal.
If the deal does hold then what next?
Here are the most pressing questions.
What becomes of Hamas? It is meant to disarm and not be part of any future government in Gaza. What if it goes back on that? What if it retreats to the shadows, regroups and rearms and goes back to its old ways?
Then, who is going to keep the peace? The plan is for an international peacekeeping force overseen by the Americans but not involving US troops on the ground, using soldiers from Arab countries and Turkey instead.
Will that force materialise and will it be effective? The history of peacekeeping operations in the region is not an encouraging one.
Then how is Gaza going to be run?
There’s been talk of a government of technocrats, people who know how to get things done, and of an oversight board run by President Trump, and of Tony Blair coming in as governor.
It will be a massive task. Rebuilding Gaza will cost billions of dollars and at the moment plans seem vague at best.
It could all come unstuck.
But then again, there are reasons for some optimism. Could this breakthrough lead to more sustained progress in efforts to build a lasting peace?
October 7th and the events that followed it including the Gaza war have changed so much in the Middle East.
Events have laid bare the utter futility of the past.
Read more:
How withdrawal of Israeli troops in Gaza could work
How two years of war have shattered the Gaza Strip
Israel’s policy of dividing and ruling the Palestinians and weakening them so they could never form their own state has ended in tragedy and colossal failure.
Hamas has brought its people nothing but misery and carnage.
There is on both sides a yearning for a new start.
There is also an American president who is prepared to put massive pressure on Israel unlike his predecessors and who is hungry for peace.
The region is lining up to push the chances of peace. President Trump has galvanised the likes of Turkey, Egypt and nations in the gulf.
In Israel there may be a fresh start. Its hardline right-wing government might have to give way to new leaders with new ideas.
And the country most likely to wreck the chances of progress, Iran, is massively weakened, pummelled by Israeli air power, and its allies and proxies humbled.
We should not over-egg the chances of further progress. In this rough neighbourhood there is always a multitude of reasons why this multi-stage deal might still fall apart, let alone lead to a much bigger peace.
But there is a chance now. The past two years have broken up the Middle East and so many of its old rules of operating. Putting it back together offers an opportunity.
It will require a huge amount of political will and leadership but there is the chance however slim of remaking the region in a way that gives its people a better future.
World
Tennessee: Multiple people killed and others missing after explosion at military munitions plant
Multiple people have been killed and others are missing after an explosion at a Tennessee military munitions plant.
Secondary explosions have forced rescuers back from the burning site at Accurate Energetic Systems, according to the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told a news conference: “We do have several people at this time unaccounted for.
“We are trying to be mindful of families and that situation. We do have some folks. We can confirm that we do have some that are deceased.”
The explosion was reported at 7.45am in Hickman County on Friday. Pic: WTVF-TV / AP
The cause of the blast, which occurred at 7.45am on Friday (1.45pm in the UK), was not immediately known.
Video from the scene showed flames and smoke billowing from a field of debris.
Emergency crews were initially unable to enter the Tennessee plant because of continuing explosions, Hickman County Advanced MT David Stewart said.
Pics: WTVF-TV / AP
Residents in Lobelville, a 20-minute drive from the scene, told the Associated Press that they felt their homes shake and some people captured the loud boom of the explosion on their home cameras.
Gentry Stover, who was woken from his sleep by the blast, said: “I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it.
“I live very close to Accurate and I realised about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that.”
Read more from Sky News:
Hamas official tells Sky News Tony Blair not welcome
Liam Gallagher and Wayne Rooney among stars at Ricky Hatton funeral
Thomas Tuchel criticises England fans after Wales win
According to its website, Accurate Energetic Systems manufactures products for the defence, aerospace, demolition, and oil and gas industries
It adds that the company makes and tests explosives at an eight-building facility that sprawls across wooded hills near Bucksnort, a town about 60 miles southwest of Nashville.
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