Moscow (IP) - Russian authorities refuted former UK prime Minister Boris Johnson's claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to launch a missile on the UK before the Ukraine war. Kremlin said Johnson was simply lying.

Iran PressEurope: "What was said by Mr. Johnson is untrue. To be more precise, this is a lie," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted saying by TASS news agency.

Peskov said that if it was a deliberate lie it raises the question as to why Johnson interpreted the developments this way.

“The former British prime minister simply did not understand what Putin was talking about. Then, it makes one feel somewhat awkward about our president’s interlocutors," Peskov was quoted saying by the publication.

Peskov said he was aware of the phone call. "I repeat it officially once again: it was a lie. There were no missile strike threats. Touching on challenges to Russia’s security, President Putin noted that in the event of Ukraine’s entry to NATO, the potential deployment of NATO or American missiles near our borders would mean that any missile would be able to reach Moscow in several minutes. If these words were taken this way, it is a very awkward situation," TASS reported quoting Peskov.

Boris Johnson claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile attack during a phone call before the Ukraine invasion.

According to Johnson, Putin threatened to personally target him with a missile. "He sort of threatened me at one point and said Boris I don't want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only take a minute," Johnson quoted Putin as saying. 

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