Putin threatened to kill me with missile attack, says Boris Johnson

BorisJohnson has claimed that Russian president Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him in a missile attack, saying it would only take a minute in a call ahead of the invasion of Ukraine.

The former prime minister said the extraordinary conversation took place in February after he had visited Kyiv in a last-ditch attempt to show Western support for Ukraine amid growing fears of an assault.

Mr Johnson, who would emerge as a staunch backer of Volodymyr Zelenskys government, made the claim in a new three-part series for BBC Two looking at how the West grappled with Mr Putin in the years leading up to the invasion.

The former PM, who left No 10 in September after being forced from office, made the visit to Kyiv in early February to warn Russia that an invasion would prove disastrous and lead to tough Western sanctions.

He also said he told the Russian leader that the escalation would only see Western states increase support for Ukraine, meaning more Nato, not less Nato on Russias borders.