A prominent Belarusian television host has labelled Boris Johnson an “alcoholic” after his visit to Kiev and talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine crisis.
As Russian troops and firepower mass at the Belarusian border with Ukraine, state TV presenter Grigory Azaryonok mocked the West and its warnings over a possible invasion, while ridiculing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson - who is mired in the so-called “Partygate” scandal.
The Metropolitan Police are investigating allegations of several lockdown-breaching gatherings at No 10 Downing Street - some of which were reportedly attended by Mr Johnson.
Despite the controversy at home, the embattled British PM visited Kiev last week for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Referring to this show of support, Mr Azaryonok criticised Mr Johnson in a broadcast on state TV channel CTV.
“Alcoholic Johnson travels across the independent Ukrainian steppes, drinks low-quality horilka [vodka] and beats a tambourine urging Ukrainians to go and die for the interests of the Anglo-Saxons,” said Mr Azaryonok, who is considered a propagandist.
“But no matter how strong your secret services are, no matter how many slaves you have, no matter how much sabre-rattling, you will lose,” he added.
Mr Johnson has been widely criticised across Europe over the Partygate scandal, including in an editorial last week by Spanish newspaper El Pais titled “Johnson: A drinker like Churchill, but without being Churchill”.
The barb by Mr Azaryonok follows Russia labelling Mr Johnson “utterly confused” hours ahead of a call between him and Mr Putin last Wednesday.
The Kremlin had been angered by comments made by Mr Johnson in Kiev, where he accused Russia of holding a gun to Ukraine’s head, and frustrated by the fact the British PM had cancelled his initial call with Mr Putin to face questions about the ongoing Partygate scandal.
“As you know, we have already announced the phone call with prime minister Johnson more than once, and are not going to announce it any further,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
“It makes sense to speak to anybody. Russia and president Putin are open to communicating with everyone. Even to someone who is utterly confused, he is prepared to provide exhaustive explanations,” Mr Peskov added.
Russia’s foreign ministry went even further with the insults, mocking foreign secretary Liz Truss for saying Britain was sending supplies to its “Baltic allies across the Black Sea” - two bodies of water that are on opposite sides of Europe. The Foreign Office later said she had been talking about separate geographic areas of support.
“Mrs Truss, your knowledge of history is nothing compared to your knowledge of geography,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova wrote in a blog post last week. “If anyone needs saving from anything, it’s the world, from the stupidity and ignorance of British politicians.”
