NIGEL Farage’s comments defending Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine are “an insult to all Ukrainians who have suffered”, the SNP have said.
Brendan O’Hara, the party’s former foreign affairs spokesperson in Westminster and candidate for Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber, called the Reform UK leader’s comments “dangerous”, adding that his views are “out of touch” with voters in Scotland.
During a BBC Panorama interview with Nick Robinson on Friday, Farage claimed “we provoked this war”, referring to the West, while drawing a link between Nato and European Union expansion in recent decades and the conflict in eastern Europe.
He added that he “disliked him [Putin] as a person, but I admired him as a political operator because he’s managed to take control of running Russia.”
The comments have been met with backlash from all sides of the political spectrum. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Farage’s remarks were “completely wrong and only plays into Putin’s hands”, whilst Labour leader Keir Starmer called the remarks “disgraceful” and said anyone standing for Parliament should make clear Russia is the aggressor.
O’Hara (below) called Farage “one of the main architects of broken, Brexit Britain”, adding that “he is just one more reason why Scotland should look to a better future, back in the European Union with independence”.
"He is one of the main architects of broken, Brexit Britain and he is just one more reason why Scotland should look to a better future, back in the European Union with independence.
"His latest comments defending Putin’s actions are an insult to all Ukrainians who have suffered at the hands of his evil regime. In defending the indefensible, Farage has once again shown how out of touch his views are with voters in Scotland.
“The SNP is unequivocal in our opposition to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the need to counter it at every opportunity. We continue to extend our support to the Ukrainians bravely opposing Russian imperialism.”
