# Nigel Farage said he ‘understood’ why ‘rational’ Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/nigel-farage-said-he-understood-why-rational-vladimir-putin-annexed-crimea/
- Published: 2026-11-04T09:51:42+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T02:51:23+00:00
- Original publisher: The Independent (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-reform-russia-crimea-putin-b3078861.html
- Topics: Europe, Politics, UK, World

## Key points

- Farage said he understood Putin’s actions in Crimea and the Donbas.
- He made the comments shortly after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
- Farage now says Putin is irrational and that he supports Ukraine.

## Summary

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said in a 2022 interview that he understood why Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea and moved into parts of the Donbas, describing Putin at the time as rational. The comments have resurfaced amid scrutiny of Farage’s views on Russia and Ukraine; Farage now says Putin has lost his rationality and that he supports Ukraine.

Farage said he believed Russian-speaking communities in Crimea and the Donbas would prefer to be part of Russia, while stressing he was explaining Putin’s actions rather than justifying them. He said he had not expected Russia to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A Ukrainian lawmaker called the remarks disturbing, while Reform said Farage supports Ukraine, including using frozen Russian assets to help it.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.