Nigel Farage has made the rare step of contradicting Donald Trump after the US President’s inflammatory comments about Ukraine.
In an extraordinary attack, Mr Trump called Ukrainian opposite number Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” and has said that he started the war with Russia in 2022.
It comes as the US president held peace talks in Saudi Arabia but without any Ukrainian involvement.
"I think the Russians want to see the war end, I really do. I think they have the cards a little bit, because they've taken a lot of territory. They have the cards," Mr Trump told the BBC on Air Force One.
His comments have infuriated much of the world, not least Mr Zelensky, who has stated that Mr Trump is now living in a “disinformation bubble”. Sir Keir Starmer has also distanced himself from the comments.
But, more surprisingly, far-right Reform UK leader Mr Farage has also made the rare step of calling out his friend and supporter.
Mr Farage told GB News: “You should always take everything Donald Trump says seriously, you shouldn’t always take things Donald Trump says absolutely literally. I think that applies very much in this case.”
He later added: “Let’s be clear, Zelenskyy is not a dictator. But it’s only right and proper that Ukrainians have a timeline for elections.”
Are Nigel Farage and Donald Trump still friends?
Mr Farage has famously been one of the few enduring figures in the friendship circle of the famously volatile Mr Trump.
The pair first met in 2016 in the aftermath of the European Union vote when Mr Trump was campaigning for president the first time. They struck up a friendship, which was galvanised when the Republican surprisingly won the election – leading the pair to take a now famous photo together by the lift at Trump Tower.
Since then, the pair have exchanged pleasantries in public and have shared a stage, while Mr Farage has been present at the inauguration and when Mr Trump was shot last year.
On Mr Farage’s 60th birthday, Mr Trump said: "You look great Nigel, I tell you, I was just with you and you look great. You have truly been a pivotal voice all over the world, in the United Kingdom and beyond, and everyone's lucky to have you."
Of Mr Trump, Mr Farage has said: "He beat the pollsters, he beat the media, he beat all the predictions and, here's the worst bit, they've never forgiven him for it. This is the single most resilient and bravest person I have ever met in my life."
While the pair have perhaps spoken more highly of each other than even their own wives, the comments made by Mr Farage about his friend’s stance on Ukraine was a rare hint of disaccord between the two.
“I applaud President Trump for starting peace negotiations,” he told Sky. “Our strategy seems to be to keep backing Ukraine up in an endless war that they are going to lose.”
He added: "Look, he promised a negotiation. He promised he'd talk to Putin. And he is. This is progress. We may not at the moment like how it looks, but we haven't seen the final shape of the deal."
Mr Trump has not commented on what Mr Farage said and the two appear to still be on good terms.
But that cannot be said of Mr Farage and another cheerleader of the US president, Elon Musk – who has now reversed his backing of the Reform leader.
“The Reform Party needs a new leader,” Mr Musk tweeted. “Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
Asked if he was reluctant to criticise Mr Musk because of a potential donation, Mr Farage said: “I think I made it perfectly clear that I don’t agree with everything he stands for, but I do believe in free speech.
“I think he’s a hero, and I said that well before any potential money was offered.”
