The Conservatives have in contrast Nigel Farage to Jeremy Corbyn after the Reform UK chief mentioned Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been “rude” to Donald Trump, in addition to criticising the Ukrainian president for not carrying a swimsuit to the Oval Workplace.
The Liberal Democrats accused Farage of parroting White Home speaking factors after Farage denied that Elon Musk and Steve Bannon had given Nazi salutes, saying their gestures have been “out to the side and not in front”.
Talking throughout a phone-in on LBC radio, Farage took difficulty with the sympathy confirmed to Zelenskyy after he was barracked by Trump and his vice-president, JD Vance, on Friday, together with his Washington go to minimize quick.
“I think President Zelenskyy was very unwise to tell the Americans what would happen to them if they didn’t back him,” Farage mentioned. “I think it was unwise. Sure, Vance and Trump bit back. But I think in diplomatic terms Zelenskyy played it very badly.”
Requested if Trump and Vance had been proper to deal with Zelenskyy as they did, Farage replied: “I wouldn’t expect a guest to be rude to me in my own house, absolutely not. I would expect a guest to treat me with respect. Doesn’t mean for a minute that Vance and Trump – I’m not defending what they did.”
Zelenskyy wore a black fatigue-style outfit in Washington, reflecting his function as chief of a nation at conflict after it was invaded by Russia. Farage mentioned he sympathised with criticisms of this, with the US journalist Brian Glenn asking the Ukrainian president why he had not been in a swimsuit. The outfit confirmed a scarcity of respect, Farage mentioned.
“You know what? If I turned up at the White House, I’d make sure I was wearing a suit and that my shoes were clean, absolutely,” Farage mentioned.
“Our prime minister was briefed and briefed and briefed as to how to deal with the visit to the White House. If Zelenskyy wants to bowl in and show no respect to a man who we all know is incredibly old fashioned about this stuff … if you are going in with a positive mindset, maybe Zelenskyy should have thought about that.”
Priti Patel, the shadow international secretary, in contrast Farage to Corbyn, saying that, like the previous Labour chief, he had a “history [of] equivocating over Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine”.
Patel mentioned: “Nigel Farage is completely wrong. President Zelenskyy is a hero, who has stood up to Putin’s aggression, and led his country’s defence against their barbaric and illegal invasion over the last three years – and it is troubling to not hear the leader of Reform say that.
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“For Nigel Farage to sit there pointing the finger at Zelenskyy is both morally wrong and diplomatically counterproductive. At this uncertain and dangerous time, one would hope that MPs of all stripes would be putting our national interest first, rather than playing politics.”
After one caller requested Farage if he regretted talking eventually month’s Conservative Political Motion Convention in Maryland provided that one other speaker, the previous Trump aide Steve Bannon, made a fascist-style salute from the rostrum, Farage mentioned he didn’t.
Bannon was, Farage argued, “taking the mickey” out of Elon Musk, a present Trump aide, who made two comparable salutes at Trump’s inauguration in January.
“Are they Nazi salutes? I don’t think they are for a moment,” Farage mentioned. Requested what they have been, Farage known as them “very unwise”. He added: “They’re not really Nazi salutes, because they’re out to the side and not in front … Do I think Musk’s a Nazi? No.”
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem chief, mentioned: “Nigel Farage is once again showing his true colours as Trump’s own spokesman here in Britain. Zelenskyy showed courage and integrity in that room – in stark contrast to Farage’s cowardly approach of licking Trump’s boots.”
