Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed Boris Johnson ruined a deal to end the war in Ukraine 18 months ago.
In a highly-anticipated interview with Tucker Carlson released on Thursday, Putin said that he was ready to end the war, but Johnson “dissuaded” the leader of Ukraine’s leading party from signing the document.
Putin said in the interview: “Mr. Johnson, then the Prime Minister, came and dissuaded us from doing this, saying it was better to fight Russia. They would give everything needed for us to return what was lost during the clashes with Russia. And we agreed with this proposal.
“Look, his statement has been published. He said it publicly. Can they return to this or not? The question is, do they want it or not? Further on, president of Ukraine issued a decree prohibiting negotiations with us. Let him cancel that decree. And that’s it. We have never refused negotiations indeed.
“We hear all the time, is Russia ready? Yes. We have not refused. It was them who publicly refused. Well, let him cancel his decree and enter into negotiations. We have never refused. And the fact that they obey the demand or persuasion of Mr. Johnson, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, seems ridiculous.
“And it’s very sad to me because…we could have stopped those hostilities with war a year and a half ago already. But the British persuaded us and we refused this. Where is Mr. Johnson now? And the war continues.”
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