Putin has 'crossed a line' and its 'unknown' how far he'll go or what weapons he'll use

ITV News Deputy Political Editor Ansuhka Asthana on what sanctions the UK has brought in

Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has crossed a line, the UK defence secretary has said, and the impact will "ripple through Europe" for "years to come".

Ben Wallace told a press conference in Estonia a "line has clearly been crossed" in Russia's attack on its neighbour, with unverified reports from both sides suggesting the war's death toll is already well over 10,000.

The Cabinet minister said "how far" Putin will go and "what weapons he will authorise to achieve his ultimate aim is unknown".

"But we have seen the use of massive amounts of artillery, we've seen the deployment of thermobaric artillery weapon systems and we worry how broad those could go."

He reiterated the UK would continue to support Ukraine by providing aid but he and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have repeatedly ruled out any combat in Ukraine, saying it could lead to world war three.

And in an ominous warning, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Al-Jazeera on Wednesday that “a third world war could only be nuclear".

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said tackling Russian aggression was a fight for "all of our freedom and security".

Speaking at a press conference in Lithuania, Ms Truss said: "This is a struggle not just for Ukraine's freedom and self-determination, but for all of our freedom and security.

"By continuing to respond with strengths we will together ensure that Putin loses."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an optimistic assessment of the war when speaking on Thursday and called on Ukrainians to keep up the resistance. “We are a people who in a week have destroyed the plans of the enemy,” he said. “They will have no peace here. They will have no food. They will have here not one quiet moment.”

He added: "These are not warriors of a superpower. These are confused children who have been used."

The Russian defence ministry said 498 Russian soldiers have been killed since the assault began. UK officials believe the actual number of fatalities to be "considerably higher". Mr Zelenskyy claimed 9,000 Russian soldiers have been killed - a figure which could also not be verified - and urged them to return home as they would only face "resistance" from Ukraine.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said that more than 2,000 civilians have died, however numbers are impossible to verify.

Mr Lavrov said the country would be prepared to negotiate with Ukraine but it was not clear what would be on the table.

"We will sit down to negotiate but only on one absolute condition that it has to be equal positions - equal parties negotiating," the minister said.

On Wednesdsay Mr Lavrov explained Putin's demands, which include the "denazification" of Ukraine.

He said to stop the invasion, Ukraine would have to agree to demilitarise, to accept Crimea is part of Russia, and to recognise that breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk are people's republics no longer part of Ukraine.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said during a press conference in Estonia on Thursday that it would "be very hard for the international community to engage" with Mr Putin "in the long-term" following his invasion of a "sovereign country at huge scale, inflicting huge damage and violence".

Mr Wallace said the idea of having a "normal relationship with the Russian government" would be "almost impossible as a result of what we have seen in Ukraine unless president Putin chooses to cease what he is doing now".

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But the West would prefer a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, with ministers repeatedly warning that a move to engage in combat with Russia would spark a new world war.

Boris Johnson made clear during his trip to Estonia on Tuesday that having British service personnel enforcing a no-fly zone would be likely to mean “shooting down Russian planes”.

ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston said that would be an act of war by a Nato country against Russia and at that point we would genuinely be seeing the start of world war three.

The Nato alliance, including the UK, possesses nuclear weapons, as does Russia, meaning involvement by its members could lead to nuclear warfare, with devastating consequences.

On Sunday Putin put Russia's nuclear deterrent forces in a “special regime of combat duty.”

Defence Secretary Wallace dismissed Putin's nuclear move as being a part of the Kremlin’s “battle of rhetoric” rather than a real threat.

He said the UK will "will not do anything to escalate in that area" and takes the threat "very, very seriously".

"But at the moment this is a battle of rhetoric that President Putin is deploying, and we just have to make sure we manage it properly," he told the BBC.