Putin's sinister threat to ASSASSINATE Boris Johnson for supporting Ukraine - 'It would only take a minute'

Putin's sinister threat to ASSASSINATE Boris Johnson for supporting Ukraine - 'It would only take a minute'
Ukrainian Presidential Press Office
Dan Falvey

By Dan Falvey


Published: 30/01/2023

- 07:42

Updated: 30/01/2023

- 08:29

The Russian President claimed 'I don't want to hurt you'

Boris Johnson was threatened with assassination by Vladimir Putin in the weeks leading up to the invasion of Ukraine, it emerged last night.

The former Prime Minister was told it would "take only a minute" to kill him with a missile as the Russian President issued a menacing warning.


The brag came after Johnson urged Moscow to scrap its plans to start a war with its neighbouring European country.

The Russian President made an 'extraordinary call' to Boris Johnson when he was Prime Minister
The Russian President made an 'extraordinary call' to Boris Johnson when he was Prime Minister
SPUTNIK

In February last year, shortly before Russian troops started their assault on Ukraine, the ex-Conservative leader visited Kyiv to give reassurances to president Volodymyr Zelensky that Britain would support the country if an invasion took place.

But after arriving back in the UK, Johnson held a "very long, most extraordinary call", in which Putin made a number of sinister remarks.

Johnson said: "He said, 'Boris, you say that Ukraine is not going to join Nato any time soon... what is any time soon?'

"And I said, 'Well, it’s not going to join Nato for the foreseeable future. You know that perfectly well'.

"He sort of threatened me at one point and said, 'Boris, I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile it would take only a minute'."

He added: "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."

The former Prime Minister recalled the conversation for a BBC documentary series due to air today.

In an interview, Zelensky also talks of his frustration that Nato members were not being serious in considering his country for membership.

Zelensky spoke of his frustration at Nato's reaction to the war
Zelensky spoke of his frustration at Nato's reaction to the war
Niall Carson

Speaking of a tense conversation with Nato's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the Ukrainian leader said: “I told him: ‘Jens, I want to join Nato, do you see us in Nato?’ Because nothing would defend our country except for actual membership.

“I said: ‘It’s just unfair and not nice. You don’t see us as equals.’

"I told him that our army is ready, our society is ready, and I believed that Nato is not ready.

“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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