Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has publicly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to negotiate a peace deal with Russia, warning that “otherwise there will be no young men left in Ukraine.”

Farage’s comments, made during a trip to the Channel to address the surge in small boat crossings, have stirred significant controversy.

Farage, often criticized for suggesting that Western actions provoked Russian aggression, believes it is time for Ukraine to reconsider its goal of reclaiming all territories lost to Russia.

He described this mission as “incredibly difficult,” suggesting a shift in strategy might be necessary to prevent further loss of life.

In his latest remarks, Farage highlighted the futility of continuing the conflict without a realistic path to victory.

His comments follow those of another Reform UK politician, Julian Malins, who faced backlash for his favorable comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin during a hustings in Salisbury.

Malins, the Reform UK candidate for Salisbury, was asked about his party’s stance on supporting Ukraine, a position strongly backed by both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Malins replied that war should not be about “punishing or in some way running over thousands of young men in tanks and blowing them up because one person takes points of view which you disagree with.”

He recounted a brief meeting with Putin, during which he found the Russian leader to be “very good,” a comment that drew boos from the audience.

Salisbury, the constituency Malins hopes to represent, is notably where former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok.

The incident in 2018 also led to the death of Dawn Sturgess, a local woman, after she was accidentally exposed to the toxin.

Farage has consistently stated his opposition to Putin and the invasion of Ukraine. However, his narrative has often been perceived as sympathetic to the Russian president, leading to significant criticism.

He has also been vocal about his disapproval of Boris Johnson’s outright rejection of a peace deal.

At a recent rally in Devon, Farage addressed these criticisms, asserting, “Somehow, I am made out to be a Putin apologist, which of course I’m not. What he’s done in Ukraine is reprehensible.”

He accused media outlets like the Daily Mail of vilifying him due to his past comments on NATO and EU expansion, which he believes have been misinterpreted as support for Russian aggression.

Don’t Poke The Russian Bear

Farage reiterated his stance that NATO and the European Union’s eastward expansion could have provoked a predictable response from a “dangerous dictator” like Putin.

“In Ukraine, I said, don’t poke the Russian bear with a stick because if you do, you will get a very predictable result.”
Nigel Farage

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently promised in a speech to “immediately” order a cease-fire and start negotiations if Kyiv began withdrawing troops from the four regions annexed by Moscow in 2022 and renounced its plans to join NATO.

However, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called Putin’s terms for peace “propaganda,” as she wrapped up a Group of Seven summit in southern Italy.

Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Sholz had a similarly negative reaction to Putin’s proposal. In an interview, he said, “What he (Putin) is ultimately proposing is to document his imperialist raids.”

The call for a peace deal comes at a critical juncture in the ongoing conflict, with heavy casualties on both sides. Farage’s controversial remarks have added to the complex discourse surrounding Western involvement and the potential paths to resolving the war.