Putin must think we were born yesterday, says Defence Secretary after claim Russian troops will pull out of Kyiv

VLADIMIR Putin “must think we were born yesterday” if he thinks Britain believes his troops are pulling out of Kyiv, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace declared last night.

The despot’s henchmen suggested he would “fundamentally cut back” military movements around the Ukrainian capital to “build trust” in peace talks.

But experts think the discussions in Turkey are just an attempt to save face after his war machine was forced into a humiliating retreat.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich appeared at the talks yesterday — seen for the first time since it was revealed he had been the victim of a suspected chemical attack.

But defence sources last night warned lying Vladimir Putin’s offer to pull back from the north of Ukraine might be a ploy to buy time for his battered forces.

Analysts said there were no early signs of movement — and Russian forces that had retreated appeared to be digging into new defensive positions.

Meanwhile, Mr Wallace — speaking from Bardufoss, Norway, as Britain prepared to deploy planes to track Putin’s Arctic submarines — told The Sun: “Russia must think we were born yesterday. Putin wants to crush Ukraine. It’s what he’s said. He is having to face the reality that he has been unsuccessful.

“I think the Russians are looking for an off ramp, but they’re trying to package their position of weakness as a position of strength.

“Judge Russia on its actions, not words, because there’s a big gulf between the two.”

He confirmed that Britain has donated “high velocity missiles” which are now operational in the battlefield.

And following the success of weapons such as the NLAW rocket on Russian armour, he hinted Britain may not look to buy more tanks as they have proved vulnerable. He added: “There are lessons from this war — very big, different lessons about whether we’ve got our balance of investments in the right place.

“If you look at Russian armour, over 2,000 have been destroyed in Ukraine. That’s a lot of armour taken by handheld weapons systems.”

The peace talks are being hosted by Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace.

Chelsea owner Abramovich was seen grinning, but the billionaire — temporarily blinded and left with skin peeling from his face earlier this month — appeared red-eyed.

He looked older than his 55 years and, at one point, struggled to adjust headphones delivering translation after taking his seat.

His role is believed to be crucial, acting as Putin’s middleman.

One theory is the poison attack was meant to warn him, and other oligarchs, not to cosy up too much with Ukraine.

Two Ukrainian delegates also suffered the effects of the mystery toxin after meetinging in Kyiv on March 3.

Christo Grozev, Russia investigator with investigative site Bellingcat, told Times Radio: “The dosage was not high enough to kill any of the three.

“The most likely target would have been Abramovich. He volunteered to play this role of an honest broker, but other oligarchs have declared certain independence from the Kremlin position and criticised the war.

“So it could well be a warning sign to them to not join the ranks of those who dissent — and to not be too much of an honest broker.”

Fears of further poisoning led Ukrainian officials at yesterday’s talks to warn their delegates not to eat, drink or even touch anything.

All were given bottled water and glasses covered by paper lids — and there were no handshakes before meetings began.

Britain is planning a “donor conference” at the end of the week to get more weapons for Ukraine.

However, if peace talks do progress, they could open the door for a face-to-face summit between Putin and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky.

He has told his team to propose Swiss-style neutrality, and a pledge not to join Nato, in return for security guarantees.

The proposals would also include a 15-year consultation period on the status of annexed Crimea, but could not come into force until a complete ceasefire is confirmed.

Ukraine is further insisting that Russian troops withdraw to their positions before the February 24 invasion.

But Putin is still thought to be determined to grab the besieged port city of Mariupol to seize a land corridor between Donbas and Crimea. He would then battle to hold on to the stolen territory in peace talks.

Last night, Ukrainians greeted news of a retreat with distrust — as Putin’s forces continued to pound the south and east, including Mariupol itself.

• A SOLDIER recorded on the Black Sea’s Snake Island telling Putin’s invaders: “Russian warship, go f*** yourself” has been released by his captors. Ukraine’s defence ministry declared: “Roman Hrybov returned to Cherkasy region. Glory to the hero.