Putin threatened to kill Boris Johnson with a missile strike, former PM reveals

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile strike in a pre-invasion call. 

Johnson made the claim during a tell-all interview for a BBC documentary that examined the Russian dictator's relationships with other world leaders during his twenty-year reign in Russia. 

"He threatened me at one point,” the former PM said, “Boris, I don't want to hurt you but, with a missile, it would only take a minute' or something like that. Jolly.”

"But I think from the very relaxed tone that he was taking,” Johnson added, “the sort of air of detachment that he seemed to have, he was just playing along with my attempts to get him to negotiate.”

As we know now, Putin was not willing to negotiate with Johnson and later invaded Ukraine in an attempt to get what he wanted. 

Johnson told the BBC documentary team that in his conversation with Putin, he warned that an invasion of Ukraine would lead to major sanctions and NATO troops at Russia’s border according to James Landale and Willaim McLennan of BBC News. 

Landale and McLennan added that Johnson apparently also tried to persuade Putin by offering the concession that Ukraine would not be allowed to join NATO.

Johnson also warned Putin that an invasion of Ukraine would be an “utter catastrophe,” which seemed to be the line that spurred Putin's missile threat. 

The Kremlin has denied any claims that Putin threatened Boris Johnson with a missile strike, calling the allegation a “lie.”

"There were no threats of missiles," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday. 

"It is either a deliberate lie - so you have to ask Mr. Johnson why he chose to put it that way - or it was an unconscious lie and he did not in fact understand what Putin was talking to him about," Peskov added according to a Sky News translation. 

Peskov offered his own version of the story according to Sophie Morris of Sky News. One where a discussion about NATO missiles being moved within minutes of Russia could have led to Johnson’s mixup in thinking Putin had threatened him. 

"If that's how this passage was understood, then it's a very awkward situation," Peskov added while speaking with reporters. 

Boris Johnson was one of Kyiv's most ardent and earliest supporters after Putin began his invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022. 

“Under Johnson’s leadership, by the end of June Britain had committed over $4.5 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine,” wrote The Hill’s Dov Zakheim, “rendering it second only to the United States in providing support to Kyiv. 

Even after Johnson's resignation from office, he continued to support Ukraine in its struggle against Russia. Johnson's latest assistance came on January 22 when he visited the country and pledged the UK’s continued support.