Boris Johnson claims he received death threat from Vladimir Putin prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In the lead-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile attack during a “extraordinary” phone call.
Putin allegedly promised the former prime minister that it “would only take a minute.”
Johnson claimed that the remark was made after he warned Putin during a “very lengthy” discussion in February 2022 that the conflict would be a “absolute catastrophe.”
In a recent BBC documentary titled “Putin vs. the West,” which examines Mr. Putin’s dealings with world leaders before to the invasion of Ukraine, specifics of the conversation are exposed.
Invading Ukraine will result in Western sanctions and more NATO troops stationed on Russia’s borders, Johnson warned Putin.
By informing Putin that Ukraine will not join Nato “for the foreseeable future,” he further attempted to prevent Russian military action.
At one point, he threatened me and said, “Boris, I don’t want to hurt you but, with a rocket, it would just take a minute,” or words to that effect. Jolly.
However, he appeared to be going along with my attempts to persuade him to negotiate based on his extremely laid-back demeanor and impression of detachment, in my opinion.
Johnson claimed that President Putin had been “extremely familiar” during the “most amazing call.”
Nobody is certain that Putin’s threat was sincere.
However, considering prior Russian assaults on the UK, most recently in Salisbury in 2018, any warning from the Russian leader is presumably one Johnson would have taken seriously, no matter how casually delivered.
The day after meeting Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Boris Johnson got a call from Vladimir Putin.
Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, traveled to Moscow to meet with Sergei Shoigu on February 11, nine days later.
Wallace was given assurances in the documentary that Russia would not invade Ukraine, but he claimed that both sides were aware that this was a falsehood.
He described it as a “demonstration of bullying or strength, which is: I’m going to lie to you, you know I’m lying and I know you know I’m lying and I’m still going to lie to you.
Mr. Wallace remarked, “I think it was about declaring ‘I’m powerful.
The “pretty terrifying, but direct falsehood,” he claimed, had strengthened his conviction that Russia would invade.
Gen Valery Gerasimov, the head of the Russian general staff, reportedly promised him as he left the conference that “never again would we be humiliated.”
Less than a fortnight later, on February 24, as tanks marched across the border, Johnson claimed to have received a late-night call from President Zelensky.
According to Mr. Johnson, Zelensky is “very, extremely calm.” However, he informs me that they are attacking everywhere.
Johnson claims that he offered to assist in getting the president to safety.
“He declines my invitation to take him up on it. He bravely remained where he was.”
