Nigel Farage Calls Vladimir Putin ‘A Very Bad Dude’

Published: 17 October 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

Nigel Farage has described Russian president Vladimir Putin as “a very bad dude”, in an attempt to toughen his stance on Moscow amid growing scrutiny of his past remarks about the Kremlin.

The Reform UK leader, whose party continues to rise in the polls, made the comments during an interview with Bloomberg’s The Mishal Husain Show on Thursday. Seeking to counter accusations that he is soft on Russia, Farage said: “Clearly, Putin is not a rational man. The idea that I’m soft on this is just nonsense.”

He added, “Obviously, Putin is a very bad dude. I was really hoping that Trump would bring Putin to heel, that some kind of compromise could be struck, as it’s just been recently struck with Gaza and Israel. Clearly, that is not going to happen.”

The remarks come years after Farage, when asked in 2014 which world leader he admired most, said, “As an operator, but not as a human being, I would say Putin. The way he played the whole Syria thing—brilliant. Not that I approve of him politically. How many journalists in jail now?”

Those comments, published by GQ magazine, have long dogged Farage’s reputation. He has since argued that the quotes were misrepresented, saying his remarks were taken out of context.

Farage’s latest comments come as rivals, including Labour, seek to capitalise on his earlier statements to question Reform UK’s credibility on foreign policy and national security. Following a poor performance for the Conservatives in May’s local elections, Labour has focused on winning back Reform voters by portraying Farage as unpatriotic.

Launching Labour’s local election campaign in April, Sir Keir Starmer said: “Reform claims to be the party of patriotism. I’ll tell you this—there’s nothing patriotic about fawning over Putin.” A Labour source later told The Telegraph: “Reform has a couple of weaknesses, and the Putin fawning is one of them. We know there is strong public support for backing Ukraine against the Russians.”

Pressed on how he would respond if Russian jets entered NATO airspace, Farage said: “Gotta shoot them down.” He also said frozen Russian assets should be used to provide loans to Ukraine “if they’re there through illegal means.”

The Reform UK leader went further, suggesting that he would support British troops joining a UN peacekeeping mission in Ukraine if a ceasefire were reached and he were to become prime minister. However, Farage reiterated his view that “the endless eastward expansion of NATO and the European Union” had contributed to Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine.

Foreign policy experts have criticised this position. Sophia Gaston, a policy analyst, wrote on X: “If you say you support NATO and Ukraine but blame NATO expansionism for ‘provoking’ Russia, then you don’t support Ukraine and you’re not credible on European security, full stop.”

Defence Secretary John Healey echoed that sentiment last month, warning that neither Farage nor Reform UK could be trusted with Britain’s national security, accusing the party of “looking up to” Putin.

The Reform movement has also faced embarrassment following revelations about Nathan Gill, the party’s former leader in Wales, who pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for making pro-Russian statements while serving as an MEP. Farage dismissed the incident, saying: “We had a bad apple in this bloke? Yes. I believe, 100 per cent, with all my heart, there’s nobody else.”

Farage’s latest comments mark a clear attempt to distance himself from past controversies and demonstrate a firmer commitment to Western unity in support of Ukraine. However, critics argue that his previous admiration for Putin’s political strategy continues to cast a long shadow over his credibility on international affairs.

As Reform UK positions itself as a growing force in British politics, Farage’s rhetoric appears increasingly focused on national security and foreign policy, signalling a calculated shift to appeal to voters concerned about global stability and the ongoing war in Ukraine.