Nigel Farage says Ukraine invasion is result of EU and Nato provoking Putin

Former Brexit Party chief says the attack on Ukraine is a ‘consequence of EU and Nato expansion’

Nigel Farage, former Ukip and Brexit party leader (Getty Images)

The Russian invasion of Ukraine happened because of Western provocation of Vladimir Putin, Nigel Farage has claimed.

The former Brexit Party and Ukip chief said on Thursday that the attack was a consequence of Nato and the EU trying to "poke the Russian bear with a stick".

He blamed the expansion of the Western military alliance and European Union for the current situation.

But Mr Farage admitted he was "wrong" to have previously suggested that the Russian president would not attack his western neighbour.

"Well, I was wrong. Putin has gone much further than I thought he would," Mr Farage said in a tweet on Thursday as Russian helicopters were spotted fighting near Kiev.

"A consequence of EU and Nato expansion, which came to a head in 2014. It made no sense to poke the Russian bear with a stick. These are dark days for Europe."

Mr Putin has warned the international community of “consequences greater than any you have faced in history” as he declared the start of his invasion.

The Russian president had previously said he had no plans to attack Ukraine. He now says that “our plans are not to occupy Ukraine”.

Russia says that Ukrainian membership of Nato is unacceptable and claims it has been provoked into a military operation to defend separatist republics.

But the Ukrainian government and the West have characterised Russia's action as a "full-scale invasion".

Mr Farage claimed earlier this week that "it was the European Union wanting to expand, wanting Ukraine to join it" that prompted the ousting of Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's pro-Russian president until the 2014 Maidan revolution.

Speaking on GB News he had said: "Yes we know the Russian can be paranoid, but why poke the Russian bear with a stick? If Vladimir Putin's one demand is that we state clearly that Ukraine is not going to join Nato, why don't we do it?"