Boris Johnson is to become the first foreign secretary to visit Russia in half a decade to pressure the Kremlin into abandoning its involvement in Syria and Ukraine.

In a significant foreign policy shift, Mr Johnson will fly out to meet his counterpart Sergey Lavrov for talks in Moscow within weeks.

It comes just months after Mr Johnson accused Russia of committing war crimes in Syria and called on protesters to demonstrate outside its London embassy.

The Foreign Office has insisted the trip does not represent a “return to business as usual” and that Mr Johnson will be “robust” in defending existing British policy.

Sources close to Mr Johnson insisted that he wants to “look the Russians in the eye” over their controversial policies, arguing that face-to-face meetings offer the best hope of securing changes.

However the trip will inevitably lead to questions about whether Mr Trump’s more pro-Russia tone compared to predecessors has influenced the change in approach.

Not since William Hague visited Russia in May 2012 has a foreign secretary gone to country for official talks.