Russian President Vladimir Putin took one final swipe at Boris Johnson after news broke he plans to resign as U.K. prime minister on Thursday.
Johnson is expected to announce his resignation at a press conference Thursday morning. Putin and Johnson have repeatedly mocked one another on the world stage, with the pair exchanging verbal blows as recently as late May.
Putin’s government had little sympathy for Boris’ departure in a Thursday statement.
“We would like to hope that some day in Great Britain more professional people who can make decisions through dialogue will come to power,” Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wrote in a statement regarding the change in government.
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The final swipe comes roughly one week after Johnson and the leaders of other Western nations mocked Putin for his love of taking shirtless photographs.
Putin responded in kind with a withering statement, however.
“I don’t know how they wanted to get undressed, above or below the waist,” Putin told reporters. “But I think it would be a disgusting sight in any case.”
“It’s necessary to stop abusing alcohol and other bad habits, do physical exercise and take part in sports,” he added.
Johnson is not expected to vacate his role as prime minister for at least several weeks, however, according to reports.
His resignation announcement comes after dozens of his cabinet members and other administration officials resigned in protest of his handling of a recent onslaught of scandals.
