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.
READ MORE: Nigel Farage stands by comment describing Andrew Tate as ‘important voice’ for men
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.
READ MORE: Scotland fans officially voted best supporters at Euro 2024
"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.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel