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BBC: Boris Johnson says Putin threatened him with missile strike in run-up to Russia's invasion

by The Kyiv Independent news desk January 30, 2023 4:51 AM 1 min read

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Boris Johnson has said Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile strike after he warned the war would be an "utter catastrophe" during a "very long" call in February 2022.

In a BBC documentary that is scheduled to air on BBC 2 on Jan. 30, Johnson said of his exchange with Putin: "He said, 'Boris, I don't want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute' or something like that. ...But I 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."

Johnson said he warned Putin that invading Ukraine would "lead to Western sanctions and more NATO troops on Russia's borders." He also tried to deter Russian military action by telling Putin that Ukraine would not join NATO "for the foreseeable future," according to BBC.

The documentary "Putin Vs the West" examines Putin's interactions with world leaders.

Ex-British PM Johnson visits Kyiv suburbs, meets with Zelensky

The Kyiv Independent

Author: The Kyiv Independent news desk

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BBC: Boris Johnson says Putin threatened him with missile strike in run-up to Russia's invasion

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