UK Foreign Secretary calls Putin ruler of "mafia state" and compares him to slave-owner

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has directly accused Russian leader Vladimir Putin of running a "mafia state"  and compared him to a slave-owner in a fiery speech at the UN Security Council.

As reported by Politico, Lammy took aim at Putin during a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Tuesday, telling the Russian representative: "We know who you are."

Lammy criticised Putin's behaviour during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, recalling the days of slavery, and accused the Russian government of flouting international law.

"Your invasion is in your own interests. Yours alone. To expand your mafia state into a mafia empire. An empire built on corruption.

Mr President, I speak not only as a Briton, as a Londoner, and as a foreign secretary. But I say to the Russian representative, on his phone as I speak, that I stand here also as a Black man whose ancestors were taken in chains from Africa, at the barrel of a gun to be enslaved, whose ancestors rose up and fought in a great rebellion of the enslaved.

Imperialism: I know it when I see it. And I will call it out for what it is," he said.

Lammy's speech comes as Ukraine continues its intense lobbying efforts to obtain authorisation to use Western long-range missiles, including British-made Storm Shadows, to strike targets deep inside Russia.

The Times has reported that the US and the UK are apparently preparing to grant Ukraine authorisation to use Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russian territory, but the announcement would not be made public to preserve the element of surprise for Russia.