Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered a colorful description of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a Friday appearance on Newsmax, likening the Kremlin leader to a “goblin” and even “Gollum” from “The Lord of the Rings.”
“He’s small, I would say. He’s a bit of goblin-like, you know, in fact like Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings,” if you’ve ever seen that — sort of pixie-like,” Johnson said in a studio appearance on “The Record With Greta Van Susteren.” “He speaks surprisingly good English, actually. It’s surprisingly good English, and he’s smart.”
Johnson, who has been an outspoken critic of Putin since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, added that the Russian leader is facing mounting economic pressure as Ukraine continues to strike key energy infrastructure.
“The Ukrainians have taken out huge quantities of his oil refinery capabilities,” Johnson said.
“You’ve got big queues in Russia now for petrol. The price of oil is really hurting him. He’s having to import oil from other countries because his refineries are all being blown up by the Ukrainians. His economy is in a very, very bad way.”
Vladimir Putin, 72, has ruled Russia as president or prime minister for more than two decades. Officially listed at 5-foot-7 and weighing about 154 pounds, Putin is known for carefully managing his public image, often portraying himself as a rugged outdoorsman and strongman leader.
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