Johnson-Putin call rescheduled as PM’s diplomacy drive falters

PM had to cancel original call because of partygate statement

A phone call between Boris Johnson and Vladimir Putin that the prime minister was forced to cancel on Monday has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Johnson's spokesman has said, after the Kremlin rejected a request to hold it on Tuesday.

It is not clear if the initial rejection stemmed from genuine scheduling issues or if it was a calculated snub by Moscow to highlight Britain's irrelevance, and Johnson's weakness, but in any case it dealt a blow to Johnson's efforts to present himself as an important diplomatic player in the Ukraine crisis.