Putin Threatened To Kill Me With Missile - Boris Johnson

Former British prime minister, Boris Johnson has alleged that Russian president, Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him with a missile last year for his support for Ukraine.

Johnson revealed this in a three-part documentary with BBC.

This alleged threat was made during a phone conversation between the two leaders, following Johnson's visit to Kyiv to show support for Ukraine in the face of growing fears of a Russian invasion. Johnson described the conversation as "extraordinary."

Johnson said Putin told him on the phone, “I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute.”

Johnson was known to be one of the most vocal Western supporters of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Prior to the invasion, Johnson stated that he made it clear to Putin that Ukraine had no plans to join NATO in the near future, and warned that any invasion would only result in more NATO presence along Russia's borders.

“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.”

On the missile threat, Johnson 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 documentary charts the growing divide between Russia and the West leading up to the invasion of Ukraine and features Zelensky discussing his thwarted ambitions to join NATO before the attack.

'He said, "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."

Overall, the documentary provides a fascinating insight into the tense political climate between Russia and the West and sheds light on the events leading up to the invasion of Ukraine.