Leader of UK right-wing populists unexpectedly supports Ukraine's accession to NATO

Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK right-wing populist party Reform UK, has unexpectedly expressed support for Ukraine's accession to NATO.

As reported by Politico, Nigel Farage, whose right-wing populist party has won British opinion polls, believes that Kyiv's rapprochement with the West should be part of a long-term solution. Nigel Farage spoke out in London on Wednesday as US President Donald Trump decided to begin direct communication with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

The leader of UK right-wing populists, one of Donald Trump's close associates in Europe, said at the press conference that he did not want to "pre-judge how these negotiations go".

"If we can get Putin into a place, and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy into a place where we have a reasonable negotiation, I would have thought, looking ahead, it’s probably essential that Ukraine joins NATO," Farage said.

Later that evening, Farage reiterated his view on GB News, where he is a presenter, emphasising: "Ukraine now joining NATO is almost an essential part of this peace deal."

During last year's election campaign, the leader of UK right-wing populists criticised NATO's eastward expansion, arguing that it allowed Putin to justify his invasion. 

"We have provoked this war. Of course, it’s his [Putin’s] fault," he added.

Farage's latest comments were made amid the British Labour government's attempts to portray the Reform UK leader as more sympathetic to Putin.

On 12 February, the new US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, ruled out Ukraine's membership in NATO and said that Europe "should provide the vast majority of future lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine." He also said that US troops would not participate in any peacekeeping operation.