Nigel Farage has warned Donald Trump that his Ukraine peace plan is “not acceptable” as the Reform UK leader issues a rare rebuke against his longtime ally.
Mr Farage’s remarks appear to have significantly strengthened his pro-Ukraine credentials following months of attacks from Sir Keir Starmer about being sympathetic to the Kremlin.
The Reform UK leader appeared particularly aggrieved with President Trump’s plan to cut the size of Ukraine’s armed forces from one million to just 600,000.
“I don’t think Ukraine being asked to halve the size of their army is acceptable,” Mr Farage told The Telegraph.
“I am waiting to see a counter-proposal from Zelensky’s government.”
President Trump’s 28-point peace plan is putting pressure on Kyiv to officially hand over the Russian-occupied territories of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk.
The proposed ceasefire would also free Moscow from most sanctions and allow Russia to rejoin the G7 – restoring the economic forum to eight members for the first time since 2014.
Earlier this year, Mr Farage suggested he was not in favour of a deal which enabled Russian President Vladimir Putin to emerge as the “winner” of the 1,367 day conflict.
He also publicly rejected President Trump’s claim that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is a “dictator”.
The Reform UK leader has been hardening up his support for Ukraine in recent months, with opinion polls suggesting six-in-10 Britons support continued assistance for the ex-Soviet state.
In an interview with Bloomberg last month, Mr Farage claimed President Putin is “not a rational man” and urged Nato to shoot down Russian jets that make incursions into allied airspace.
However, Sir Keir, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and both Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs have ramped up attacks against Mr Farage over the issue of Russia.
Nigel Farage has been hardening up his support for Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelensky in recent months
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REUTERS
GB News revealed earlier this year No10 is looking to deploy attacks on Ukraine, the NHS and workers’ rights to shore up anti-Reform support for Labour ahead of the next General Election.
The Prime Minister has accused Mr Farage of “fawning” over the Russian President, while Mr Johnson labelled the Reform leader’s views “extremely dangerous”.
The row over Mr Farage’s stance towards Russia stems from comments made more than a decade ago about Nato “provoking” President Putin with its eastward expansion.
However, ex-Brexit Party MEP Nathan Gill put further pressure on Reform UK after the party’s former leader in Wales was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison for accepting bribes to promote Russian interests in the European Parliament.
In a stinging attack, the Prime Minister claimed Mr Farage is not fit to succeed him in No10.
Vladimir Putin has been regarded as the initial winner of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine
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REUTERSSir Keir said: “Anybody who fails to call out racism, anyone who is pro Russia is not fit to lead our country.
“But he must start that investigation. This is a serious prison sentence, 10 years for that involvement with pro Russian, pro Russian bribes.
“He needs to launch an investigation. How did that happen in his party? And what other links are in his party?”
Responding to Sir Keir’s comments about his unfitness to be PM, Mr Farage said: “The Prime Minister needs to urgently investigate the links with the Chinese Communist Party within the Labour Party.
“Spies have been discovered donating to Labour MPs and there has been the mysterious collapse of a recent spy trial. Perhaps he needs to look closer to home.”