Farage calls Putin 'very bad dude' as he toughens Russia stance

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Aaron Chown/PA) Aaron Chown

Nigel Farage has called Vladimir Putin "a very bad dude" in an apparent attempt to counter accusations that he cannot be trusted with Britain's national security. The Reform UK leader also backed shooting down Russian jets that enter NATO airspace and spending frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.

The comments represent a toughening of his stance after previous remarks where he said he admired the Russian president "as an operator, but not as a human being". Speaking on Bloomberg's The Mishal Husain Show on Thursday, Farage said: "Clearly, Putin is not a rational man. The idea that I'm soft on this is just nonsense."

Military action and frozen assets

When asked what he would do if Russian jets crossed into allied airspace, Farage said: "Gotta shoot them down." He argued that frozen Russian assets should be used to provide loans for Ukraine "if they're there through illegal means".

The Clacton MP also said he could support British troops in Ukraine as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire, should he become prime minister. However, he maintained that "the endless eastward expansion of NATO and the European Union" contributed to Putin's decision to invade Ukraine.

Party under pressure

Reform has faced scrutiny after Nathan Gill, the party's former leader in Wales, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for making pro-Russian statements while he was a member of the European Parliament. Farage acknowledged: "We had a bad apple in this bloke? Yes," but added: "I believe, 100%, with all my heart, there's nobody else."

The party is currently riding high in the polls, but rivals have sought to promote perceptions that it and its leader are weak on Moscow. Farage said: "Obviously, Putin is a very bad dude. I was really hoping that Trump would bring Putin to heel, that some kind of compromise could be struck, as it's just been recently struck with Gaza and Israel. Clearly, that is not going to happen."

Expert criticism

Foreign policy expert Sophia Gaston criticised Farage's position on social media, saying: "If you say you support NATO (encouraged by the resilience of British public support) and Ukraine but blame NATO expansionism (a response to Russian aggression) for 'provoking' Russia, then you don't support Ukraine and you're not credible on European security, full stop."

Defence Secretary John Healey (Labour) warned last month that Farage could not be trusted with Britain's national security, accusing him and his party of "looking up to" Putin. The Cabinet minister said: "I don't think Nigel Farage or his party can be trusted with national security."

Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.