THE letter from Keith Anderson, Treasurer of UKIP York, concerning the remarks by Nigel Farage (The Press, May 26) encapsulates what his party is about. He tries to defend Farage about his comments regarding Russia’s Putin.

Keith Anderson quotes directly (I presume) from the reply Farage gave to another newspaper, in which, asked which world leader he most admired, Farage said: “As an operator, but not as a human being, I would say Putin. The way he played the whole Syria thing. Brilliant. Not that I approve of him politically.”

How many hundreds of thousands of people have died in the two-year Syrian conflict and which is one of the countries that has been supplying various sides of that conflict with bombs, tanks aircraft and other armament?

Surely, Farage must put brain in gear before operating mouth when it comes to praising potential tyrants and commenting on foreign conflicts.

Let us not forget what has been happening in Crimea lately and who has been supplying the personnel and the armament?

H F Perry, St James Place, Dringhouses, York.