FILE PHOTO: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at the Commonwealth Business Forum at the International Convention Centre (ICC), in Birmingham, Britain, July 28, 2022. Peter Byrne/Pool via REUTERS
LONDON 鈥� President Vladimir Putin threatened to personally target Boris Johnson with a missile attack just before ordering Russian forces into Ukraine, the former UK prime minister has claimed.
The apparent threat came in a phone call just ahead of the invasion on February 24, according to a new BBC documentary to be broadcast on Monday.
Johnson and other Western leaders had been hurrying to Kyiv to show support for Ukraine and try to deter a Russian attack.
鈥淗e sort of threatened me at one point and said, 鈥楤oris, I don鈥檛 want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute鈥�, or something like that,鈥� Johnson quoted Putin as saying.
Johnson emerged as one of the most impassioned Western backers of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
But prior to the invasion, he says he was at pains to tell Putin that there was no imminent prospect of Ukraine joining NATO, while warning him that any invasion would mean 鈥渕ore NATO, not less NATO鈥� on Russia鈥檚 borders.
鈥淗e said, 鈥楤oris, you say that Ukraine is not going to join NATO any time soon.
鈥溾�榃hat is any time soon?鈥� And I said, 鈥榳ell it鈥檚 not going to join NATO for the foreseeable future. You know that perfectly well鈥�.鈥�
On the missile threat, Johnson added: 鈥淚 think from the very relaxed tone that he was taking, the sort of air of detachment that he seemed to have, he was just playing along with my attempts to get him to negotiate.鈥�
The BBC documentary charts the growing divide between the Russian leader and the West in the years before the invasion of Ukraine.
It also features Zelensky reflecting on his thwarted ambitions to join NATO prior to Russia鈥檚 attack.
鈥淚f you know that tomorrow Russia will occupy Ukraine, why don鈥檛 you give me something today I can stop it with?鈥� he says.
鈥淥r if you can鈥檛 give it to me, then stop it yourself.鈥�
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