Sunak accuses Farage of appeasing Putin with his remarks on Russia

Rishi Sunak last night accused Nigel Farage of ‘appeasing’ Vladimir Putin with his remarks on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Prime Minister likened the Reform leader to those who, in the 1930s, opposed taking a firm stand against Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany.

Mr Farage claimed during an interview on BBC Panorama that the West ‘provoked’ Russia through Nato and the European Union ‘s continuous eastward expansion. The Brexiteer said Ukraine should cede its Russian-occupied territory to Putin. He also proposed that peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv should take place.

But Mr Sunak told the Daily Telegraph: ‘What he said was wrong, it was completely wrong. It plays into Putin’s hands. This is the guy that used nerve agents on British streets, he’s doing deals with North Korea. That is who we’re talking about here.’

‘This kind of appeasement is very damaging not just for our security, but the security of our allies that depend on us and it emboldens Putin further. I talk to Volodymyr [Zelensky, the Ukrainian president] regularly, I just saw him. I’ve spent lots of time with his team. I’ve been in Ukraine multiple times. ‘The thought that we would somehow be withdrawing our support to them, that there are people who think that that’s a right thing to do, I think is deeply worrying.’

Former defence secretary Ben Wallace has also condemned Farage’s remarks. He branded him a ‘pub bore . . . who often says ‘if I was running the country’ and presents very simplistic answers to actually I am afraid in the 21st century complex problems’.

In response to the Tory condemnation, Mr Farage said he would ‘never, ever’ defend Mr Putin and noted others had made similar points.

He added: ‘Being against the Iraq and Libyan wars and predicting the Ukraine war is not appeasement. I’m horrified by what Putin has done.’

The Conservatives believe Mr Farage’s comments were a major misstep and will work in their favour at a time when Reform is hurting them in the polls.

The Prime Minister also addressed voters who have become frustrated with the Tories. He said: ‘What I would say is a Labour government isn’t something that you buy that if you decide you don’t like it you can take it back to the shop and return it.’

Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Hit the follow button above for more of the news you need.