Reform UK candidate defends praise for Putin in city hit by Russian Novichok poisoning

Reform UK's candidate for Salisbury - scene of the fatal 2017 Novichok attack - has defended his choice of words after saying Vladimir Putin "seemed very good" on the basis of a brief meeting with the Russian President.

Julian Malins KC made his controversial remarks during a hustings event in the cathedral city, during which he also advocated a "peaceful resolution" to the conflict in Ukraine, more than two years after Putin ordered his invasion on February 24, 2022.

In quotes attributed to him by the Salisbury Observer, Mr Malins, when asked whether a Reform government would continue to support Ukraine, told the audience: "I have actually met Putin and had a 10-minute chat with him and he seemed very good."

Referring to Adolf Hitler, he continued: "He is not the Austrian gentleman with a moustache come alive again."

Earlier, referring to the death toll on either side, he explained: "We support diplomacy. We support every possible effort to reach a compromise and a settlement over the issues in Ukraine.

"That is what the adults in the room do. Stop the killing and negotiate a proper settlement."

The 74-year-old added: "War is not about as it were punishing or in some way running over thousands of young men in tanks and blowing them up because one person takes points of view which you disagree with."

One member of the public in the room, who said she had housed two Ukrainian refugees for the last two years, then said: "I can't believe what I've just heard.

"How can you in Salisbury, where we had Novichok on our streets, say that?"

But speaking to Express.co.uk, Mr Malins doubled down.

He said: "The quotation I am sure you are referring to, elides several things which I said.

"First I said that Putin was a good 'Russian President' ie the kind of President who enjoys majority support of the Russian people. This has been demonstrated even by western funded polling agencies.

"As such the West has to deal with him on a diplomatic level in order to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. This is hardly controversial, Nigel Farage has done this election a great favour by causing the Ukraine conflict to become now a matter of debate."

He continued: "I did say that I had met President Putin, which I have, and that to describe him as the new Adolf Hitler is mistaken.

"You may not be aware of this but many media outlets worldwide have ceased referring to Hitler by name in order to keep him out of people’s minds and instead refer to him, as I did, as the 'Austrian with a moustache'.

"The clarity of my response was prematurely interrupted by the over-exuberant “boos and hisses” of the warmonger elements in the crowd, as described by the Salisbury Journal."

It comes after party leader Nigel Farage courted controversy earlier this month by appearing to blame the expansion of NATO for Putin's decision to invade, a remark which drew a stern rebuke from former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Russia is widely believed to have been behind the attack using the nerve agent seven years ago, although Moscow has consistently denied responsibility.

Initially, Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and daughter Yukia were targeted, although both survived.

Months later, a local man, Charlie Rowley, found a discarded perfume bottle which he then gave to girlfriend Dawn Sturgess. She died days later after spraying it on to her skin. Mr Rowley has suffered from health problems ever since.