If Putin invaded Ukraine, there would be severe penalties, the Kremlin was warned. Johnson claimed Putin, after getting the warning, had made a terrifying threat to assassinate Boris Johnson with a missile attack. In February 2022, Putin called Johnson the day after the former UK PM visited Kiev.
As per Johnson, Putin asked him what he meant by saying Ukraine was not joining NATO “any time soon". When Johnson clarified that it meant Ukraine would not join NATO in the “foreseeable future", Putin threatened to “hurt" him with a missile.
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“Boris, I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute," Putin allegedly told Johnson.
As per ex-Armed Forces minister Mark Francois, it is “extraordinary" to think that a British prime minister was directly threatened by the Russian president. Johnson quickly mobilised the Europeans against the Russian invasion and has since been one of Kyiv’s most ardent supporters, according to Francois, who claimed that Putin's assault had plainly backfired.
However, General Sir Richard Barrons, thinks the threats did not mean much. The former commander of Joint Forces Command said Russia might not have had enough missiles to spare.
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“He will need all the missiles he can get to delay Ukraine throwing Russia out of its country," The Sun quoted Barrons as saying.
It was not the first time Putin tried to intimidate a foreign leader, as per ex-Army officer Col Richard Kemp. It is his way of testing them, throwing them off balance, and gaining the upper hand, Kemp said. Putin has always tried to make personal remarks and say things foreign leaders wouldn't expect in regular international diplomacy, whether face to face or over the phone, Kemp added.
