By LONDON — President Donald Trump is used to shocking critics with his approach to foreign policy. But his hard-line Ukraine tactics have this week unnerved some of his political allies on the far right, too.
The White House this week paused aid to Ukraine, which is fighting off Russia’s invasion, after Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly berated President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Dutch anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders — often referred to as the “Dutch Trump” because of his flamboyant blond hair and anti-immigration politics — said Saturday that he stood by Ukraine “with conviction.” He reacted to Trump’s Oval Office clash with Zelenskyy by posting on X that it was “fascinating TV, but not necessarily the best way to end the war, gentlemen.”
Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, called the decision to halt aid “brutal,” “cruel” and reprehensible,” speaking to the Le Figaro newspaper Tuesday.
And Britain’s Nigel Farage, a longtime friend and ally of Trump’s, said Tuesday that Vance was “wrong, wrong, wrong” after the vice president appeared to ridicule the idea of Britain sending peacekeepers to Ukraine.
British lawmaker Nigel Farage with Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Jackson, Miss., in 2016.Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images file
Only Britain and France have offered to send such a force, but Vance denied he was referring to those countries when he derided he idea of “20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”
Cue uproar in Britain, which lost 457 and 179 troops fighting U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan respectively.
The comments are notable because these are Trump’s natural allies in geopolitics: insurgents attacking the political establishment from the right with a mix of populism, extreme opposition to immigration and, critics say, authoritarianism.
Last month, Le Pen and Wilders were among a clutch of hard-right leaders who gathered for the “Make Europe Great Again” summit in Madrid. “We’re facing a truly global tipping point,” Le Pen told the audience. “Hurricane Trump is sweeping across the United States.”
Wilders called the American president “a brother in arms.”
But the criticism also highlights the complex, confusing and often seemingly contradictory web of interests and viewpoints on the continent when it comes to Russia and Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London on Sunday.Toby Melville / WPA Pool via Getty Images
Like many far-right figures in Europe, Le Pen, Farage and Wilders have all faced past accusations of being too close to the Kremlin — which they have all denied.
They have also displayed varying degrees of skepticism when it comes to supporting Ukraine: Le Pen said she would oppose the use of French long-range missiles being used by Kyiv, Farage has argued that ending the war requires “concessions on both sides,” and Wilders’ People’s Party, which leads the current government, opposed aid being given to the country at all.
But these opinions seem to be shifting.
Le Pen is trying to distance herself from her party’s far-right roots, presenting a more mainstream image ahead of a 2027 presidential election she may well win. In a speech Saturday, she paid tribute to the “Ukrainian people” who “heroically resist the indefensible Russian aggression,” Le Figaro reported. She said the crisis was a consequence of Europe’s “submission” to the U.S.
Meanwhile, Wilders’ People’s Party has pivoted not only to supporting Ukraine aid — but also to the idea that Europe needs to gain military independence from the U.S.
Marine Le Pen.Behrouz Mehri / AFP – Getty Images
“We ourselves must stand up for the safety of Europe and the Netherlands,” the party posted on X after the Oval Office argument. “We will continue our support for Ukraine unabated and must invest more in defense.”
Farage, meanwhile, despite his friendship with Trump, has found a political foe in his adviser Elon Musk, who said Farage “did not have what it takes” to lead Britain’s Reform UK party.
His criticism of Vance appeared to come from a different place, however, echoing an outraged supporter base that saw the vice president as betraying British troops killed fighting American wars.
“SHOW RESPECT,” the Sun tabloid wrote Wednesday. “Brit heroes hit back at Vance after he forgot UK’s 636 Iraq & Afghan war dead.”
NBC News has contacted the PVV, Rassemblement National and Reform UK for comment on their statements.
