MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Foreign Secretary Truss says “women are also capable of terrible and appalling acts”

Asked if female leaders are less aggressive, Ms Truss said: “I think that both women and men are capable of terrible and appalling acts.”

According to British media reporting, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss had some discordant comments on Boris Johnson's claim that Russian President Putin's invasion of Ukraine was the “perfect example of toxic masculinity” and it wouldn't have been carried out by a female leader.

 Ms Truss, one of the most senior women in Government, said it wasn't “helpful” to try to analyze how Putin thinks but he was clearly “capable of very, very evil acts”.

The Foreign Secretary told Times Radio: ”He ( Putin) clearly is capable of very, very evil acts...

“I don't pretend that I can conduct a psychological analysis on him, nor do I think it's helpful.”

Asked if female leaders are less aggressive, Ms Truss said: “I think that both women and men are capable of terrible and appalling acts.”

Pressed on whether the invasion would have happened regardless of Putin's gender, she replied, “I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that there are some very, very bad women and men.

”I wouldn't say it's an issue about what sex Vladimir Putin is, I think it's the fact that he has this ambition for a greater Russia that he's talked about for decades.

“That not enough was done after the Cold War to hold the Soviet Union to account for the crimes that had been committed and we allowed this situation to fester.”

It comes after Boris Johnson and G7 leaders mocked photos of the Russian leader riding a horse shirtless.

On a warm day in the Bavarian Alps, the PM joked: “Shall we take our clothes off,” and added, “we have to show that we’re tougher than Putin.”