Russian president Vladimir Putin used his interview with Tucker Carlson to try to influence the debate in the USA over choking off funding for the war in Ukraine, according to Nigel Farage.

The GB News presenter said: “We learned that physically or mentally Putin is perhaps in better condition than we thought he was.

“There have been all sorts of rumours about his health, that he had Parkinson’s, all that sort of thing. So he still looks pretty fit and strong, his absolute determination that Ukraine should not be allowed to exist as an independent sovereign state was clear.

“I thought the messaging that if you send American troops to Ukraine, there’ll be an all-out global conflict was his attempt to try and further manipulate debate in the United States where right now the funding for Ukraine is being held up in Congress.”

In a discussion during Breakfast with Stephen Dixon and Anne Diamond, he continued: “I think what Putin sees is, in a long war, the West is getting tired of funding Ukraine.

“It was used by him clearly for strong propaganda purposes. Well done, Tucker for getting the interview but I think what people will think what we’re focused on is what wasn’t asked.

“And I’ll give you one big example. There are presidential elections coming up in Russia very soon. Opposition leaders like Mr Navalny are currently in the gulag, and that question wasn’t asked.

“So there’ll be a lot of people saying he could have asked other questions, he could have asked more questions, and I think that is a fair analysis.”

He added: “I thought what was very interesting, he has said it before but he said it more forcefully, was that peace negotiations could have happened. A deal could have been talked about more clearly.

“He would have wanted a deal on his terms, but a deal could have been talked about but it was scuppered by Boris Johnson, and very interesting that the BBC weren’t even debating that this morning.”

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