Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticized Moscow's failed visit.
Johnson claimed he was forced to drink "a huge amount of vodka" by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in front of a blazing fire, describing the encounter as punishment at a Victorian boys' school. He claimed that President Putin refused to meet with him and his attempt to renew relations with Russia ended in "a great and bitter disappointment. Johnson claimed that Moscow was striving to regain its position and influence in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space, and argued that this was a reason to oppose any compromise with Putin.