Nigel Farage criticised for saying West provoked Ukraine war

Nigel Farage has faced backlash for stating that the West caused Russia to invade Ukraine by expanding the European Union and Nato towards the east.

The leader of Reform UK said to the BBC that without a doubt, the war was caused by President Vladimir Putin.

However, he included that the growth of the EU and Nato provided him with a "justification" to inform the Russian population that "they are once again targeting us".

The Home Secretary, James Cleverly, criticized Mr. Farage for echoing Mr. Putin's excuse for the war, calling it unacceptable. Labour also denounced Mr. Farage as unsuitable for any position in politics.

The ex-UKIP leader later stated that he was one of the "rare individuals" who had been "steadfast and truthful" on the matter.

During a chat with the BBC's Nick Robinson, Mr. Farage was questioned about his decision-making skills and previous comments, such as his declaration in 2014 that Russian President Vladimir Putin was the world leader he looked up to the most.

"I may not personally like him, but I respect his political skills in effectively leading Russia," stated Mr. Farage.

He was questioned about a post he made on social media in February 2022, where he stated that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was due to the expansion of the EU and NATO.

Mr. Farage stated that he has been discussing since the 1990s how the continuous enlargement of Nato and the EU towards the east was providing President Putin with justification to convince his Russian citizens that they are being targeted, leading to a potential war.

He stated, "We instigated this conflict. Naturally, the responsibility lies with President Putin."

In reaction to the interview, Conservative Home Secretary James Cleverly stated that Nigel Farage was repeating Putin's awful excuse for the violent invasion of Ukraine.

Labour's defense spokesman, John Healey, stated that Mr. Farage's remarks render him unsuitable for any political position in our nation, particularly leading a reputable party in Parliament.

The former head of Nato, Lord Robertson, criticized Mr Farage for echoing the views of the Kremlin and coming up with fresh justifications for the violent and unexpected attack.

In the interview, the leader of Reform UK stated that Lord Robertson had acknowledged that the war was triggered by the EU's growth.

During an interview on BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight, the Labour member refuted the claim and dismissed Mr. Farage's statement as "utter rubbish".

Claiming that we incited Russia is comparable to suggesting that installing a security system somehow causes burglars to break into your home.

Guy Verhofstadt, a well-known member of the European Parliament from Belgium and someone who often disagrees with Mr. Farage, also claimed that he was echoing the same ideas as the Kremlin.

"He always supported Putin in the European Parliament", he remarked.

"Each ballot cast for Farage is cheered in Moscow!"

Following the interview that was broadcast on Friday, Mr. Farage stated on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he was "among the rare individuals who have been steadfast and truthful about the conflict with Russia."

Together with the recent announcement, he shared again a speech given in the European Parliament in 2014 where he urged the West to cease engaging in military exercises with Putin.

Russia started a major attack on Ukraine in February 2022. This came after taking control of Crimea and Donbas in 2014.

Ukraine is not part of the European Union or Nato, which consist of 32 countries from Europe and North America.

Yet, after the invasion by Russia, the country decided to seek membership in both blocs.

Nato was established in 1949 by a coalition of 12 nations, which notably included the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and France.

Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, several Eastern European nations, such as Hungary, Poland, and Estonia, became part of the alliance.

The European Union has grown larger since the 1990s, welcoming several countries from eastern Europe in 2004.

During the discussion, Mr Farage also claimed that the Conservatives have not achieved success in fulfilling Brexit.

As the head of UKIP, he played a crucial role in the movement to exit the EU.

During the 2019 general election, Brexit was a major topic, highlighted by Boris Johnson's campaign motto "Get Brexit Done". However, in the current campaign, Brexit has not been as prominent.

When Mr. Farage was questioned if he still believed that Brexit was a failure, he responded by saying that it was not a failure, but rather a failure to deliver.

"It's not a defeat. We have exited the EU. We are now in control of our own governance."

However, he also mentioned that Brexit did not deliver what those who supported it wanted, thinking that it would lead to a decrease in immigration numbers.

Migration has increased significantly since 2021, following the UK's exit from the EU. This refers to the disparity between individuals immigrating to the UK and those emigrating from it.

This trend has been caused by individuals from countries outside of the European Union moving to the United Kingdom.

The number of people moving to a new country set a new record in 2022, but then went down a little bit in the next year.

Reform UK supports pausing non-essential immigration in order to ease strain on housing and public services, boost wages, and safeguard our cultural identity and values.

Mr. Farage also accused the Conservatives of breaking their promise to get rid of 4,000 EU laws.

When asked if he was only pointing fingers at others, Mr. Farage replied, "Things would be much different if I were in control. But they never gave me the chance."

The Conservative Party never truly supported Brexit... They only seized on it as a way to gain political advantage, but ultimately fell short when it came to making it happen.

Mr. Farage was also asked about his views on climate change and whether he thinks it is not a big problem.

"I have believed since the late 1980s that there has been excessive excitement about this, and I believe that might be incorrect," he stated.

We only focus on fear instead of finding solutions.

He said: "We focus too much on getting overwhelmed by the issue instead of considering practical and logical solutions."

Mr. Farage criticized the net zero policies of the Labour and Tory parties, calling them "nonsense" and suggesting that up to £30bn a year could be saved by abandoning their commitments to address climate change.

He faced criticism regarding Reform's screening process when the party decided to remove several potential parliamentary candidates due to their inappropriate or offensive remarks.

The party is pointing fingers at a company they hired to do background checks on potential candidates, saying that they did not properly screen individuals before the election began.

When questioned why individuals with strongly held beliefs seem to support him, Mr. Farage replied: "They are not there due to my influence."

Even though he helped start the party and holds the title of honorary president, he made it clear that he hasn't been actively involved in the party's daily operations for more than three years.

"These candidates were chosen before I announced my intention to actively participate in the party."

In the second week of the election campaign, Mr. Farage became the new leader of Reform, replacing Richard Tice.

He said he will be a candidate in Clacton, even though he had previously stated he would not run in the election in July.

The BBC is talking to the main party leaders before the election on The Panorama Talks with Nick Robinson. Nigel Farage's interview was shown on BBC One at 7:00 PM on Friday and can be watched on BBC iPlayer.

You can see all the people who are running for office in the Clacton area on this page.