Boris Johnson calls Vladimir Putin a “fool” over the “old” war in Ukraine | The world | news
Boris Johnson described Vladimir Putin as a “fool” during a television interview and said the Russian leader needed to understand that his country’s empire was “over”.
The former British Prime Minister was speaking to an Estonian journalist during an interview For East Express On January 9th. The news site has now shared a clip including Mr Johnson’s strong assessment.
In response to a question about Putin’s illegal attack on Ukraine, and the threats to the Baltic states, Johnson said: “What Putin is doing is outdated and barbaric, and he must understand that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. None of these countries are part of the Russian Empire.” Ukraine is no longer like that.
“It’s over, it’s over, it’s over, it’s over, there’s no more Vladimir Empire, you foolish king. Pardon my language.”
Johnson was the first Western leader to travel to Ukraine after Russia’s illegal invasion in February 2022 to offer his support to the country and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In a wide-ranging interview, Johnson drew a comparison between the end of the British Empire and how the nation must accept changing times.
Speaking about his talks with Putin in the run-up to the war in Ukraine, Johnson revealed at one point that the Russian tyrant had threatened Britain with a “missile strike”. The Kremlin has since denied the allegation.
Speaking in a BBC documentary, Johnson said during a phone call with Putin: “He threatened me at one point and said: ‘Boris, I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it will only take a minute.’ “Or something like that.”
“But I think that by the very relaxed tone he was taking, and the kind of detachment he seemed to be, he was just manipulating my attempts to get him to negotiate,” Johnson added.
At the time, the British government and NATO were desperately trying to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but the Kremlin clearly had other ideas, with its spokesman taking a disingenuous jab at Johnson, noting that he was “completely confused.” “.
On February 3, 2022, the Kremlin said: “Russia and President Putin are open to communicating with everyone. Even a person who feels completely confused is ready to provide comprehensive explanations.”
Just 21 days later, Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
The former conservative leader has become something of a hero to the people of Ukraine and the former prime minister enjoys a close relationship with President Zelensky.
A street in the town near the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa in Ukraine has been renamed from Mayakovsky Street to Boris Johnson Street in his honor just weeks after the Russian invasion.
A council spokesman said at the time: “The UK Prime Minister is one of the most principled opponents of the Russian invasion and is a leader in sanctions against Russia and defense support for Ukraine.”
