Nigel Farage has said Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not a dictator but called the UK and Europe “irrelevant” in peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
The Reform UK leader, who counts Donald Trump as a close friend, called on the Ukrainian president to set out a timeline for an election.
Mr Trump on Wednesday said Mr Zelenskyy was “a dictator without elections” and falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia.
The US president also claimed the Ukrainian leader has a 4% approval rating, but a report by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology has said Mr Zelenskyy “retains a fairly high level of public trust” – about 57%.
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Critics of Mr Farage had questioned why he had remained silent over Mr Trump’s comments.
Other party leaders have strongly backed the Ukrainian president, with Sir Keir Starmer calling him to voice his support, telling him it was “perfectly reasonable” for Ukraine to “suspend elections during wartime as the UK did during World War Two”.
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But, speaking on Thursday, Mr Farage told GB News: “Let’s be clear, Zelenskyy is not a dictator.
“He’s not a dictator, but there needs to be a timeline so that the Ukrainian people can vote on a peace deal.”
He added: “You should always take things Donald Trump takes seriously, but you shouldn’t always take it literally.”
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The Reform leader argued the UK had an election during the Second World War, in 1945, so Ukraine could also do so.
The war had come to an end in Europe in May 1945 and Winston Churchill reluctantly called an election two weeks later – after 10 years without a vote – due to pressure from his Labour coalition partners.
However, Allied troops were still fighting in the Pacific, with VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day) not taking place until August that year.
Mr Farage said he had not made a comment on Mr Trump’s attack because he had been flying to the US and it had then been nighttime.
He also called the UK and Europe “irrelevant” when it comes to negotiating a peace deal between Russia and the UK.
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US and Russian officials have been in Saudi Arabia this week to discuss a possible peace deal, but neither Ukraine or any European representatives were there.
This sparked an emergency meeting of European leaders in France earlier this week.
Mr Farage said he would “suggest Europe and the UK government pay very serious attention to Donald Trump”.
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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accused Mr Farage of sounding “like a spokesman for Trump”.
He posted on X: “So Nigel Farage has chosen to explain away Trump’s outrageous remarks about President Zelensky instead of doing the right thing and condemning them. Deeply disappointing but not at all surprising.
“He sounds like a spokesman for Trump. He certainly doesn’t speak for Britain.”
Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge also called out Mr Farage’s comments.
He wrote on X: “Why does Farage think Ukraine should have a ‘timetable’ for elections? They’re not going through local govt reform – they’re in an existential war & don’t know when it will end. And does he think Putin should have a timetable for free & fair elections? He actually is a dictator.”
