Boris Johnson: "Putin threatened me with a missile"

 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine  

 

Boris Johnson: "Putin threatened me with a missile"  

 

Of:  

 

Hans Österman 

 

Published: Today 01.47  

 

Updated: Today 04.22  

 

NEWS 

 

In a new TV documentary, Boris Johnson says that Vladimir Putin threatened him on the phone just before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

 

- He said: "Boris, I don't want to hurt you, but with a missile it would only take a minute." 

 

At the same time, Johnson plays down the seriousness of the statement.  

 

Boris Johnson, 58, resigned as Prime Minister on September 6, 2022. Photo: Liam McBurney/AP  

 

The new information appears in a BBC documentary that specifically focuses on Putin's contacts with other world leaders.  

 

Just before the Russian invasion on February 24 last year, then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a long phone conversation with Putin.  

 

Johnson describes the conversation as "extraordinary". He says Putin Putin was friendly and relaxed - even when uttering the threatening words. 

 

- He threatened me at one point and said something like: "Boris, I don't want to hurt you, but with a missile it would only take a minute", says Boris Johnson to the BBC.

 

In the conversation, Johnson had warned Putin that a war in Ukraine would lead to sanctions against Russia and more NATO soldiers near the country's borders.  

 

However, Johnson adds that he does not believe the threat was literal, saying that Putin "sounded happy". 

 

- Judging from the very relaxed tone and the fact that he seemed to have a kind of distance, I think he was just messing with my attempts to get him to negotiate.