Vlad to worse
»Johnsonbotched peace, claims Putin »He warns US over world war on Ukraine
Johnson talked us out of it. It’s very sad to me PUTIN ON FORMER TORY PRIME MINISTER The war would’ve been over long ago, 18 months PUTIN ON UKRAINE PEACE DEAL It’d bring humanity to brink of global conflict
PUTIN ON U.S. TROOPS IN UKRAINE
VLADIMIR Putin has repeated his claim that Boris Johnson scuppered talks for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Mr Putin insisted the war could have ended 18 months ago but the former Tory Prime Minister “dissuaded” Kyiv from reaching an agreement.
Mr Johnson has previously labelled the Russian despot’s claim nonsense.
In his first interview with Western media since his invasion, Mr Putin made several outlandish allegations.
And he threatened the US with a “global war” if it sends troops to Ukraine. Speaking about 2022 peace talks in Istanbul, Mr Putin said Kyiv backed out of a deal after Mr Johnson said it was “better to fight Russia”.
The Kremlin leader added: “We were ready to sign it, and the war would have been over long ago, 18 months ago.
“They would give everything needed us to return what was lost during the clashes with Russia. And we agreed.
“However, Prime Minister Johnson came, talked us out of it, and we missed that chance. It’s very sad to me because we could have stopped those hostilities.
“Where is Mr Johnson now? And the war continues.”
Last month, Mr Johnson denied the claims, describing them as Russian propaganda.
Mr Putin’s interview with US news presenter Tucker Carlson inside the Kremlin largely focused on Ukraine, with the war nearing two years.
He claimed his invasion had been necessary to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine and prevent it posing a threat to Moscow by joining NATO.
Mr Putin also alleged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had refused to talk with the Kremlin.
He urged the US to halt the fighting and work towards peace, adding: “We have to look for a way out of this situation.” But he warned the West will never succeed in inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia in Ukraine.
Mr Putin also denied claims Moscow was harbouring plans to attack Poland or other NATO countries.
He argued it was up to Washington to stop supplying Ukraine with weapons and convince Kyiv, which he called a US “satellite”, to hold negotiations.
Chillingly, Mr Putin warned the US over troops in Ukraine. He said: “If somebody has the desire to send regular troops, that would certainly bring humanity to the brink of a very serious global conflict.”
The Russian president also boasted of having the world’s most advanced “hypersonic systems with intercontifor nental range”. He said: “We are ahead of everyone, the US, in the development of hypersonic strike systems.”
White House national security spokesman John Kirby tried to minimise the impact of the interview before its release on Wednesday.
He said: “Remember, you’re listening to Vladimir Putin. You shouldn’t take at face value anything he has to say.”
Russia has cracked down on independent media but Mr Putin said he was ready to negotiate a potential prisoner exchange that would free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
He was detained last March on espionage charges that he denies.
Mr Putin hinted Moscow wants the release of an agent held in Germany.