"Vladimir Putin is a leader, whatever you think of him. I criticize a lot of his policies. But I applaud him as I applaud Mr. Trump for being leaders, who are standing there on behalf of the Russian and the American people … We lack that kind of leadership in Europe," Wilders said in an interview with the RT broadcaster.
The European Union consisting of 28 member states suffers from the lack of common identity, the lawmaker noted.
"Europe, being a non-entity, countries combined – almost 30 in our days and still trying to enlarge – where there is a total lack of sense and identity. Therefore I believe Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin are more favorable than our own leaders," Wilders added.
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The Dutch lawmaker in currently on a visit to Russia at the invitation of the Russian lower house of parliament.
In March, 2017, Party for Freedom, which supports the anti-migration struggle, came second at the Dutch parliamentary election and received 20 seats. However, the party did not enter the ruling coalition, headed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
