A new BBC documentary set to air on Monday has revealed that former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson received a personal threat from Russian President Vladimir Putin just before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.
According to Johnson, Putin threatened to target him personally with a missile attack in a phone call just before the invasion. The conversation reportedly took place on February 24 as Johnson and other Western leaders were rushing to Kyiv to show support for Ukraine and deter a Russian attack.
"He sort of threatened me at one point and said, 'Boris, I don't want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute', or something like that," Johnson quoted Putin as saying.
Johnson, who has been a vocal supporter of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claims that he had been trying to tell Putin that there was no imminent prospect of Ukraine joining NATO, while also warning him that any invasion would result in "more NATO, not less NATO" on Russia's borders.
Putin is said to have responded to Johnson's statements by asking, "What is any time soon?" and Johnson replied by saying, "well it's not going to join NATO for the foreseeable future. You know that perfectly well."
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The documentary also explores the growing divide between Putin and the West in the years leading up to the invasion of Ukraine and features Zelensky reflecting on his thwarted ambitions to join NATO prior to Russia's attack.
It also throws light on Zelensky's ambitions to join NATO prior to Russia's attack.
Zelensky is quoted as saying, "If you know that tomorrow Russia will occupy Ukraine, why don't you give me something today I can stop it with? Or if you can't give it to me, then stop it yourself."
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The revelation of the alleged missile threat from Putin is likely to further strain relations between the UK and Russia, which have been tense in recent years due to a number of issues including the attempted assassination of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
