JAKARTA - Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shared stories about his experience before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as he warned of the risk of such action answered with a missile threat by Moscow.
The conversation took place in February, Johnson said, after he visited Kyiv in a last resort to show Western support for Ukraine amid growing concerns over Russia's attacks.
Known as one of the vocal supporters of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Boris Johnson visited Kyiv in early February to warn Russia that an invasion would be catastrophic.
Johnson recalled that he warned President Putin there would be tougher Western sanctions if he ordered an invasion of Ukraine.
He said he told President Putin in a phone call that escalation would see western countries increase support for Ukraine, which means "more NATO, not less NATO" on the Russian border.
"He said, Boris, you said that Ukraine will not join NATO anytime soon... And I said, 'Yes, Ukraine will not join NATO in the future. You know that very well'," Boris Johnson said of the call. January 30.
"He kind of 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," Boris Johnson said.
"I think from the very relaxed tone he took, he was just playing with my efforts to make him negotiate," he continued.
Apart from Boris Johnson, Defense Minister Ben Wallace also shared his story of his trip to Moscow in February last year, in order to prevent war and achieve breakthroughs.
He recalled speaking with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Chief of Staff General Valery Gerasimov.
"And I remember telling Minister Shoigu, 'They're going to war,' and he said, 'My mother is Ukrainian, they won't (war)'," Wallace said recalling his conversation.
"He also said he had no intention of attacking. It would be vran'e in Russian. Vran'e I think it's kind of a demonstration of intimidation or power: 'I'm going to lie to you. You know I'm lying. I know you're lying and I'm still going to lie to you'," he explained.
"It was a pretty terrible lie but straight away, about what they wouldn't do that I thought confirmed to me that they would attack," Wallace said.
"I remember when we walked out, General Gerasimov said, 'We will never be humiliated again. We used to be the fourth soldiers in the world, now we are number two. Now America and us," Wallace said.
It is known that President Putin finally approved his troops to carry out so-called special military operations in Ukraine on February 24 last year.
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