On December 13, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation. The discussion centrepiece was the deterioration of the situation near the Ukrainian border.
What British government reports about Johnson-Putin conversation
The British Prime Minister stressed that he supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. Johnson stated that a new invasion of Ukrainian territory would be a "strategic mistake" with "serious consequences." He noted the need "to work through diplomatic channels to reduce tensions and find long-term solutions."
What Kremlin’s version of Putin-Johnson negotiations is
The press service of the Russian presidential administration noted that Johnson had expressed "concern about the alleged large-scale movements of Russian troops near the Ukrainian borders." In response, Putin outlined his vision of the situation, in particular, he complained about the "destructive line of Kyiv on breaching the Minsk agreements", the deliberate deteriorating the situation on the confrontation line, and using prohibited weapons by the Ukrainian forces.
"It was emphasized that this comes against the backdrop of the active military invasion of the Ukrainian territory by NATO countries, which poses a direct threat to Russia’s security," the Kremlin’s statement reads.
Given that, Putin again insisted on guarantees that would exclude any NATO advance to the east and the deployment of weapons in neighboring states.
Context. On December 7, US and Russian Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin held the first conversation since July between. The talks centrepiece was Russia's military activity on the border with Ukraine. The digital meeting of the leaders lasted two hours and was held via a secure video link. Following the summit, the White House and the Kremlin each announced their own version of the talks outcomes.
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