MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. A conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not being planned yet, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday.
"So far, as far as I know, there have been no official requests [from London with regards to the Putin-Johnson conversation]," the Kremlin official said. He noted that "during one of the statements [from London] such a wish was expressed." "So, about Johnson so far there is no understanding," the spokesman stated in response to a question as to whether Putin’s conversation with the UK prime minister was being planned.
Commenting on the question as to how the Kremlin interpreted London’s interest in increasing contacts with Moscow, Putin’s press secretary suggested that "apparently, the British side is interested in discussing the complex situation that is being observed in Europe now and, maybe, in discussing those initiatives on security guarantees proposed by Russia."
On Tuesday, Johnson, speaking before the parliament, declared his readiness to hold a conversation with Putin in order to discuss the situation around Ukraine and security issues.
Earlier on January 17, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that he invited his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu to visit London to discuss issues related to mutual security concerns and engage in a meaningful dialogue in the spirit of goodwill. On January 21, Shoigu sent Wallace an invitation to visit Moscow confirming his readiness to discuss all the pressing security issues. It was reported that the possibility of such a visit by Wallace was being studied.