Nigel Farage has been compared to Jeremy Corbyn by senior Tories following a string of "morally wrong" comments about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Reform UK leader had been hosting a phone-in on LBC on Monday in which he accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of "being rude" to Donald Trump and JD Vance at the White House.
"I think President Zelensky was very unwise to tell the Americans what would happen to them if they didn't back him, I think it was unwise," Farage said.
"Yeah, sure, Vance and Trump bit back. But I think, in diplomatic terms, I think Zelensky played it very badly."
Farage said Trump's approach to diplomacy is 'wholly unconventional'
PA
Farage added that he was "not defending what they did" - but said Trump's approach to diplomacy is "wholly unconventional".
In response, Tory Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said: "Nigel Farage is completely wrong. President Zelensky 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.
"For Nigel Farage to sit there pointing the finger at Zelensky 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.
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"But sadly, it is not surprising. Like Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Reform UK seems to have history equivocating over Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine."
Disgraced ex-Labour leader Corbyn had called for the West to stop arming Ukraine a few months after Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion on pro-Russian TV in Lebanon.
Before taking the helm of the party - and following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea - he claimed the "root of the crisis" lay in "the US drive to expand eastwards" and described Russia's actions as "not unprovoked".
A Reform UK spokesman hit back, telling GB News: "It is astounding that the architect of open border mass immigration, Priti Patel, wilfully ignores Reform UK's repeated calls for security guarantees for Ukraine in any peace deal.
"Whilst the Tories try to politicise this situation, Reform UK will continue to call for peace and security guarantees for Ukraine."
Addressing MPs earlier this afternoon, the PM called for full support for Zelensky and to no longer 'fawn' over Putin
Parliament
Addressing MPs earlier this afternoon, the PM asserted that "Zelensky is a war leader whose country has been invaded, and we should all be supporting him and not fawning over Putin".
He re-emphasised that Russia was the aggressor and stressed that the Ukrainian leader had done nothing wrong.
Since, the Liberal Democrats have launched a scathing attack on Farage's comments this morning, releasing a mock advertisement for a "plastic patriot" Nigel Farage doll - which comes "100 per cent backbone free" and with a "boot-licking feature".
Accompanying the image, the Liberal Democrats posted on X: "Farage has stuck to his guns today - unapologetically pro-Putin, pro-Musk and pro-Trump.
"He's certainly not pro-Britain - no matter what Reform says - he's a plastic patriot."
