Nigel Farage claims Russia was provoked into Ukraine war

Nigel Farage claimed that the EU and Nato caused Russia to invade Ukraine by moving closer to their borders. The leader of Reform UK faced tough questioning about his views and policies during a lively television interview.

In an interview with BBC's Panorama on Friday night, Farage also claimed that Brexit would have helped the UK financially if he had been in charge, and that several Reform Party candidates who were attacked for making offensive comments had been unfairly treated.

Questioned about his opinions on the Ukraine conflict and his expressed respect for Vladimir Putin, Farage explained that while he may not personally like the Russian leader, he does appreciate his political skills and level of authority in governing Russia.

In the blog, Farage discussed the reasons behind Putin's invasion of Ukraine. He mentioned his speech at the European parliament in 2014 where he predicted a war in Ukraine. Farage explained that the continuous expansion of Nato and the European Union towards the East was seen as a threat by Putin, who felt that they were encroaching on his territory. This perceived threat was the justification for Putin's decision to go to war.

He said: "We started this conflict. It is clear that he is to blame, he has simply used our actions as a justification."

The Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have criticized Farage for defending the actions of the Russian president.

Home Secretary James Cleverly condemned Farage's remarks, stating that he was repeating Putin's terrible reasons for the violent attack on Ukraine. Former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace also criticized the Reform leader for showing support for someone who used nerve agents in the UK.

John Healey, the opposition defence minister, criticized the remarks as "shameful", stating that Farage has demonstrated a preference for Putin over supporting Ukraine. He believes this disqualifies Farage from holding any political position, especially as the leader of a significant party in parliament.

Earlier this year, Rishi Sunak stated that it is absurd to attribute blame to the western countries for the war.

In another part of the interview, which was part of a series led by Nick Robinson with leaders of different parties, Farage acknowledged that a statement he had made about the UK becoming the fourth-largest exporter in the world after Brexit only applied to services.

When questioned about why exports of goods did not experience the same improvements, Farage pointed to net zero policies, stating that they had led to the deindustrialization of Britain. He also discussed the economic impacts of Brexit, expressing that things would be much different if he were in charge. However, he noted that this was not the case.

Questioned about his backing of Liz Truss's failed mini-budget, Farage commended it for its pro-growth and pro-business measures. However, he criticized the fact that it did not include corresponding cuts in spending.

When questioning Reform's financial strategy outlined in the party's manifesto this week, Robinson appeared doubtful of Farage's justifications for reducing public spending significantly in order to implement widespread tax cuts.

"First of all, we will help people find jobs so they are no longer unemployed," Farage stated. Robinson then responded, "But that alone won't generate £140 billion annually. You were on a reality show - you should have been on a fictional island."

In the discussion about immigration, Farage mentioned several times that immigrants coming to the UK could also bring their mothers along, which is not accurate. When asked about his previous statement calling King Charles "an eco-loony" in relation to net zero emissions, Farage responded by saying, "He wasn't the king at that time, and I cannot speak badly about the monarch, of course."

Robinson also asked Farage about statements made by some of Reform's election candidates, including one candidate who suggested that the UK should have maintained political neutrality towards Nazi Germany.

Reform is pointing fingers at a vetting company they hired for not properly checking the statements made by candidates. However, Farage seemed to downplay the severity of the comments, mentioning that many candidates have been set up with quotes being misrepresented.

Robinson responded by saying that although vetting couldn't be carried out, there was still the ability to locate £140 billion in savings from public spending.

When questioned if Reform's appeal was due to Farage's own beliefs, he dismissed the idea as nonsense and quoted Martin Luther King to emphasize his belief in meritocracy.

When questioned about his previous approval of Enoch Powell and disapproval of Rishi Sunak, Nigel Farage explained that his criticism of Sunak not understanding the culture was because Sunak was seen as being too privileged due to his upper-class background.