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Facing Criticism, Reform UK Seeks to Recast Foreign Policy and Signal Support for Ukraine
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Reform UK, a right-wing populist party, is moving to clarify its foreign policy positions as it seeks to counter lingering doubts over the party’s stance on Russia and its leader Nigel Farage’s past remarks on the Kremlin, according to Politico on February 9.
Until recently, Reform’s approach to foreign affairs largely mirrored Farage’s personal views. As the party looks ahead to a potential general election, it is now working to formalize its positions, beginning with areas where Farage has faced sustained criticism, particularly regarding Russia.
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Farage has repeatedly been challenged over comments made in 2014, when he said he “admired” Russian leader Vladimir Putin as an “operator,” and over remarks made a decade later suggesting the West had “provoked” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine through NATO expansion.
As reported by Politico, his allies argue those statements are outdated or taken out of context. In recent months, Farage has sought to distance himself from them, describing Putin as “a very bad dude” and saying the UK should be prepared to shoot down Russian aircraft entering British airspace. His deputy, Richard Tice, has referred to “the monstrous tyranny of that most evil villain, Putin.”
The party has also attempted to draw a line under one of its most damaging internal scandals by appointing a new leader in Wales, following the imprisonment of former Welsh leader Nathan Gill on charges related to accepting Russian bribes.
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Despite the shift in rhetoric, concerns about Reform’s position persist. Tim Montgomerie, a former Conservative activist who joined Reform in 2024, told Politico: “Yes, Farage has a Russia problem. I think it’s a great lie—but it’s sunk into the consciousness.”
Behind the scenes, Reform UK has stepped up efforts to reassure European partners. Party aides have held meetings with foreign diplomats over the past six months, according to several people familiar with the discussions, and have also met Ukrainian representatives to signal support for Kyiv’s war effort, Politico reported.
At the same time, three senior diplomats from Eastern European countries said Reform’s position on Russia lacks clarity rather than appearing overtly pro-Kremlin.
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“Most of the political parties apart from Reform UK have a very strong view,” one diplomat said. “So far Reform UK has not expressed very strong messages of support … We don’t have clarity of what their position on Ukraine is, to be honest.”
“Nigel Farage has been very clear that Reform fully supports the Ukrainian people and the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine,” a Reform UK spokesperson said, adding that a Reform-led government would defend NATO airspace against Russian aggression and that any peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv “should not turn Putin into a winner.”
Earlier, Ukraine sharply criticized a proposed Russia–US economic cooperation plan, reportedly worth $12 trillion, warning that such an initiative could threaten Ukraine’s sovereignty and security.
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-d19cadf4e034d352e71ac1b7d32fb938.jpg "Ukraine Unveils SEEDIS Autonomous Drone Interceptor With AI, 320 km/h Top Speed to Counter Aerial Threats")
