Nigel Farage says he ‘admired’ Putin for ‘control of running Russia’

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Nigel Farage has said he “admired” Vladmir Putin “as a political operator because he’s managed to take control of running Russia”. When asked about the Russian president, Mr Farage told interviewer Nick Robinson: “I said I disliked him as a person, but I admired him as a political operator because he’s managed to take control of running Russia.” It was obvious to me that the ever-eastward expansion of Nato and the European Union was giving this man a reason to his Russian people to say ‘they’re coming for us again’ and to go to war Reform UK leader Nigel Farage Mr Putin has served continuously as either Russian president or prime minister since 1999, with elections which have been described as “rigged”. It was obvious to me that the ever-eastward expansion of Nato and the European Union was giving this man a reason to his Russian people to say ‘they’re coming for us again’ and to go to war.” Mr Farage went on to say he had been making similar comments “since the 1990s, ever since the fall of the Wall” and added: “Hang on a second, we provoked this war. He did used to say that carbon dioxide was a pollutant, which I thought was a very stupid comment Reform UK leader Nigel Farage Mr Farage said: “I’m not arguing the science.” Questioned about the word “hype”, Mr Farage repeated the word “no” in response.