Johnson: Putin Wants to Use the World Cup Like Hitler Did

Boris Johnson, the UK Foreign Secretary, on Wednesday, April 2, compared Vladimir Putin's approach to hosting the 2018 World Cup in Russia to Adolf Hitler's behavior during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. According to Reuters, Ian Austin, a British MP, pointed out that Putin is using the World Cup to improve Russia's image, similar to what Hitler did during the Berlin Olympics. Boris Johnson, present in the UK Parliament, agreed with Austin's assessment, stating that the image of what is to happen during the World Cup in Moscow is indeed comparable to 1936 in many respects. Johnson was in Parliament to answer questions from MPs regarding the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious in a shopping center in Salisbury, southern Britain, in mid-March. They were taken to the hospital and remain in intensive care. The UK has accused Russia of being involved in the poisoning of this former spy and 'chemical weapon attack on British soil.' Moscow denies these allegations. The World Cup will be held in Russia for one month starting from June 14. However, the UK Foreign Secretary stated that he would negotiate with Russia regarding the safety of British fans during the World Cup. Following the poisoning incident, UK-Russia relations have soured. In response, Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats, while Russia announced it would retaliate by expelling 23 British diplomats. Sergei Skripal, 66, was previously an officer in the Russian military's security service. He was arrested in December 2004 and sentenced to prison for treason for passing secret information to Britain; he was granted asylum in Britain in 2010 during a spy swap and has lived there for years. In this context, Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the UN, stated last week at a Security Council meeting that Russia is responsible for the nerve agent attack on the former spy and his daughter in Britain, asserting that the Security Council must respond to this issue. Britain's allies, including the US, France, and Germany, have indicated the possibility of Russia's involvement in this action and condemned it.