(Corrects translation of Peskov quote in paragraph 5, making clear he said Russia had not announced call with Johnson)
By Dmitry Antonov
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia mocked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as “utterly confused” and ridiculed British politicians for their “stupidity and ignorance” on Wednesday, hurling more scorn at the West after President Vladimir Putin accused Washington of trying to provoke war.
The comments – caustic even by Moscow’s increasingly defiant standards – demonstrated that, publicly at least, the Kremlin is in no mood to signal compromise in a stand-off with Western powers that accuse Russia of planning to invade Ukraine.
Moscow, which has massed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders, denies any plan to invade its neighbour but says it could take unspecified military measures if demands are not met, including a promise by NATO never to admit Kyiv.
The Kremlin turned its rhetorical fire on Johnson, who cancelled a phone call with Putin on Monday to answer questions in parliament about boozy events in his Downing Street office during the COVID-19 lockdown. Johnson visited Kyiv on Tuesday, where he accused Russia of holding a gun to Ukraine’s head.
“As you know, we have not announced any call with Prime Minister Johnson, and are not going to announce it any further,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
“It makes sense to speak to anybody. Russia and President Putin are open to communicating with everyone. Even to someone who is utterly confused, he is prepared to provide exhaustive explanations,” Peskov added.
Russia’s foreign ministry went further, mocking Foreign Secretary Liz Truss for saying Britain was sending supplies to its “Baltic allies across the Black Sea” – two bodies of water that are on opposite sides of Europe.
“Mrs Truss, your knowledge of history is nothing compared to your knowledge of geography,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova wrote in a blog post.
“If anyone needs saving from anything, it’s the world, from the stupidity and ignorance of British politicians.”
BEAR VS FOX
Moscow did not reserve its wit solely for British officials. Noting that White House spokesperson Jen Psaki had compared Moscow’s behaviour to that of a fox shouting from the top of a chicken coop, Peskov said: “Actually, it’s always traditional to compare Russia to a bear. But a bear can’t stand on a chicken coop. It is too big and heavy.”
The swipes came a day after Putin spoke about the Ukraine crisis publicly for the first time this year, accusing Washington of trying to lure Moscow into war by insisting on the possibility that Kyiv could join NATO one day.
“It’s already clear now … that fundamental Russian concerns were ignored,” Putin said on Tuesday. He described a potential future scenario in which Ukraine was admitted to NATO and then attempted to recapture the Crimea peninsula, territory Russia seized in 2014.
“Are we supposed to go to war with the NATO bloc? Has anyone given that any thought? Apparently not,” he said.
Washington and its allies have said they will not send troops to protect Ukraine from a Russian attack, but would send arms to help Ukrainians defend themselves and respond with financial sanctions against Moscow.
Russia, which is still Europe’s main energy supplier despite being under U.S. and EU sanctions since annexing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, has brushed off additional sanctions as an empty threat.
Peskov said Washington’s behaviour was unpredictable, and Moscow was taking steps to mitigate the effect of sanctions.
Washington and its allies have rejected Russia’s two main demands – that Ukraine be barred from ever joining NATO and that deployments of troops in eastern European countries that joined the alliance after the end of the Cold War be rolled back.
Spanish newspaper El Pais released what it said was a leaked copy of a U.S. response to Russian demands, in which Washington offered talks with Moscow on an agreement for both sides to refrain from stationing offensive missiles or troops in Ukraine.
Washington could also provide reassurance that it had no cruise missiles in Poland or Romania, and discuss steps to prevent dangerous incidents at air or sea, said the document, which appeared to be in line with the public U.S. position.
(Additional reporting by Alexander Marrow, Andrew Osborn, Robin Emmott, Writing by Peter Graff, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
