The only country waging war in Europe is Russia, the Defence Secretary has said, as he rejected Russian claims the UK was engaged in a “proxy” conflict in Ukraine.

Andrei Kelin, Russia’s ambassador to the UK, told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “My government firmly believes the UK Government is waging an aggressive war against Russia by the hands of the Ukrainians.

“This is a proxy war led by the United Kingdom’s Government by providing lethal weapons with which the UK Government is killing Russian soldiers and civilians.”

Defence Secretary John Healey later said: “There is only one nation waging war in Europe and that’s Russia and its illegal invasion of Ukraine.

“(President Vladimir) Putin could stop this war tomorrow by pulling back. In the meantime, we will do everything we can to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

His comments come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has presented world leaders with a victory plan to try to end the conflict, which is widely condemned by international governments as having been caused by Russia’s illegal invasion.

Mr Kelin also described Mr Zelensky as “desperate”, and said he should negotiate with Russia.

He said: “He fully understands that he is losing not only terrain but he is losing the conflict. I wouldn’t say they are going to surrender tomorrow – they still continue to resist but the resistance is more feeble.”

Earlier this week, Mr Healey restated the UK’s backing of Ukraine.

He said: “We, as Ukraine’s supporters, must do everything we can to step up our support for Ukraine in the weeks and months ahead, to put more pressure on Russia, to ensure that Ukraine can prevail, because the defence of Europe starts in Ukraine.

“They’re fighting for the same values and same beliefs and same freedoms that we prize and we owe them that duty to stand with them for as long as it takes.”

Earlier this month, Mr Zelensky presented his “victory plan” to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street as pressure mounted on the UK to give Ukraine permission to use Storm Shadow missiles to strike targets in Russia.

In three-way talks in Downing Street, the Prime Minister, the Ukrainian president and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte discussed the state of the war.

Mr Rutte said there was no legal reason preventing the use of western-supplied weapons against targets within Russia, but decisions had to be made by individual states.