Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson says Putin threatened him with a "missile attack" and that it would just take a minute

FORMER Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly directly threatened British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with a missile assault moments before directing Russian soldiers into Ukraine, according to Boris Johnson.

Johnson made this shocking claim in the three-part BBC documentary "Putin vs. the West," which will air on Monday.

Putin contacted Johnson in February 2022, the day after the former British Prime Minister visited Kiev. Putin informed Johnson over the phone that hurting him would barely take a minute. A BBC programme went into great depth on the exchanged chats between Johnson and Putin.

Johnson described Putin as adding, "He kind of threatened me at one point and said, 'Boris, I don't want to harm you, but with a missile, it would just take a minute,'" according to APF.

As stated by AFP, Johnson further commented on the missile threat, saying, "I believe from the very comfortable tone that he was adopting, the kind of air of detachment that he appeared to have, he was simply playing along with my efforts to persuade him to negotiate."

Johnson told Putin, according to the documentary, that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would result in Western sanctions and an increase in NATO forces stationed near Russia's borders. Additionally, he said that Ukraine will not join NATO "for the foreseeable future" in an effort to deter Russian military intervention.

During those times, Boris Johnson became one of the most ardent Western supporters of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, travelled to Moscow to meet with Sergei Shoigu on February 11, nine days later.

Wallace reportedly received guarantees that Russia wouldn't attack Ukraine in the BBC documentary "Putin Vs the West," but he said all parties were aware that this was a deception.

Russia granted permission for special military operations in Ukraine in February of last year. Attacks by Russian troops on key Ukrainian cities, including Kiev, started with missile and artillery fire. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has killed thousands of people, displaced millions, and left towns in ruins, seems to have no end in sight.