Nigel Farage offers views on Hitler and Putin during election phone-in

Nigel Farage has described Adolf Hitler as “hypnotic in a very dangerous way” after reiterating his admiration for Vladimir Putin as a “political operator”.

The Reform UK leader offered his view on the public speaking abilities of Nazi Germany dictator Hitler when asked about him during a live BBC phone-in.

He also suggested Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky should enter negotiations with Russia, although he acknowledged Kyiv’s Western allies will continue support to support them.

Mr Farage, challenged about his previous remarks praising Russian president Mr Putin as an operator, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Yeah, but not as a human being.”

‘Political operator’

Asked why, Mr Farage replied: “How many years has he been in power? He’s gone from prime minister, to president, he’s a clever political operator. He kills journalists, I don’t like him as a human being in any way at all.

“You can recognise the fact that some people are good at what they do even if they have evil intent.”

Asked if Hitler was good at what he did, Mr Farage replied: “What, as a public speaker? What do you think? Clearly, hypnotic in a very dangerous way.”

On whether talks should be held with Russia to end the war with Ukraine, Mr Farage replied: “This war has been going on for years, it is likely to go on for many, many more years.

“We’re looking at something like a million casualties between the two sides.”

‘Negotiation’

Mr Farage added: “I’m not saying we shouldn’t support Ukraine at all, not for one minute, but at the end of the day most wars end in negotiation and I fear, if we don’t find some way of at least sitting down and talking, that we’re going to finish up with a war that goes on for year after year after year.”

He said he believed the “big difficulty would be Crimea”, adding: “Is it a bad idea to get people to sit around a table and talk?”

Mr Farage was asked what he would say if he was in a position of influence and had a meeting with Mr Zelensky.

He said: “I’d say to Zelensky, look, the West have been supporting you, they will go on supporting you but the percentage of your young manhood that you’re losing is so bad, isn’t it time we at least tried to have a negotiation – he couldn’t say no.”