Liz Truss accused Vladimir Putin of using “smoke and mirrors” amid tentative peace talks over the war in Ukraine.
The foreign secretary said the precursor to any successful peace talks had to be a ceasefire and Putin withdrawing his troops.
“It’s very difficult for the Ukrainians to negotiate with a gun against their heads,” she told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme.
“I am very concerned that Putin is playing a smoke and mirrors game of trying to claim that he is seeking peace whilst at the same time continuing with this appalling war that he instigated and is not making the progress that he thought he would.”
The cabinet minister struck a less optimistic tone than Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy who said the talks were beginning to “sound more realistic”.
Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said there were “fundamental contradictions” during the talks but “certainly room for compromise”.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy appeared to offer Moscow an olive branch by saying Ukraine would not join Nato.
Asked if she thought Zelenskyy was trying to signal the basis of a deal to Moscow, Truss replied: “It’s a matter for Ukraine whether or not they decide to join Nato and, of course, a matter for Nato members.
“I’ve always thought that that isn’t the real issue that it is a smokescreen.
“If you look at all of Putin’s public statements, his Munich Security Conference speech in 2007, his essay of last year, this is about recreating a greater Russia and essentially subordinating Ukraine under Russian authority - as well as extending more broadly to other Eastern European states.”
Truss said it was important to stop Putin in Ukraine, adding: “It is about the desire to recreate the Soviet Union and he is clearly an extremely dangerous man.”
Yesterday the Kremlin released a statement warning: “Kyiv is not demonstrating a serious commitment to searching for mutually acceptable solutions.”
It comes after Kyiv officials said Russian forces shelled an apartment block on Wednesday morning.
Russian troops are also said to be holding 400 people, including doctors and patients, “like hostages” inside a hospital in Mariupol, according to the deputy mayor.
Talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are set to continue and president Zelensky will also address US Congress today.