Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin "threatened him in some way" before the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. Johnson explained in a documentary set to air by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that Putin said to him, "With a missile, it will take one minute," according to Agence France-Presse.
In the three-part documentary, the first episode of which will air tonight, Johnson recounts his "very long" and "unusual" phone call with the Russian president after his visit to Kyiv at the beginning of February. At that time, Putin continued to insist that he did not intend to "invade" his neighbor, despite the massive influx of Russian troops to the border areas.
Johnson pointed out that he warned Putin of the severe sanctions that the West could impose if he went down this path. Johnson recalled, "Putin said: Boris, you say that Ukraine will not join NATO any time soon… What do you mean by 'any time soon'?" Johnson replied, "Well, it will not join NATO in the near future. You know that very well," according to Agence France-Presse. He added, "At one point, he kind of threatened me and said: Boris, I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it will take one minute."
