A controversial British politician's remarks on Ukraine spark backlash ahead of UK elections

British politician Nigel Farage, who earned the nickname "Brexit Godfather" in his homeland, caused a scandal with his words on BBC television. The politician stated that the West "provoked" the invasion of Ukraine.

Nigel Farage is the leader of the right-wing populist party Reform UK. His latest interview on BBC television caused a real storm in the United Kingdom.

It was obvious to me that the ever-eastward expansion of Nato and the European Union was giving this man a reason … to say: ‘They’re coming for us again,’ and to go to war. We provoked this war. Of course it’s his fault, he’s used what we’ve done as an excuse - Farage said on BBC.

Farage mentioned that as early as 2014, in one of his speeches in the European Parliament, he predicted that a war would break out in Ukraine. He argued that, at the time, no one took his words seriously.

The politician also commented on the admiration he has for Vladimir Putin. In 2014, the politician named the Russian president as the politician he admires the most.

I said I disliked him as a person, but admired him as a political operator because he's managed to take control of running Russia – he explained.

Farage denied that he was "repeating" Putin's rhetoric about the threat to Russia from the West. The politician contends that he "has been saying this since the late 1990s."

The words of the leader of the Reform UK party have caused much controversy. A former British military intelligence officer, Colonel Philip Ingram, called Farage a threat to the security of the United Kingdom.

Putin will be smiling to himself seeing his work being done. Farage is a convenient mouthpiece for disinformation and a danger to our security with views like that - the military officer commented to the "Daily Mail."

The controversial interview with Nigel Farage is part of the election campaign. On July 4th, parliamentary elections will be held in the United Kingdom. His Reform UK party has recent poll support of around 15-20 percent. However, due to the electoral system in the House of Commons, the party will only secure a few seats at most.