Geert Wilders, the anti-immigration party leader in pole position to be the next Dutch prime minister, said on Monday the Netherlands was “Europe’s fool” for accepting too many Ukrainian refugees.

The hard-Right nationalist won a shock landslide victory in the Dutch general election three months ago but has so far failed to form a coalition government.

“Ukrainians are coming to the Netherlands in droves, not because of the war, but for free housing, free care and our jobs,” Mr Wilders said.

“Once again, we are Europe’s fool,” the divisive firebrand said on social media.

Mr Wilders, who has faced accusations of being soft on Vladimir Putin, wants to stop Dutch military aid to Ukraine. He argues the Netherlands needs weapons to defend itself.

“The Dutch Donald Trump” triumphed after an anti-migrant campaign focused on closed borders and “zero asylum seekers”.

More than 100,000 refugees from Ukraine have arrived in the Netherlands, which has a population of about 18 million, since Putin’s illegal invasion two years ago.

Under a temporary EU protection mechanism, Ukrainian refugees have the right to travel through, live and work in any member state until at least March 2025.

Mr Wilders’s comments come as the Government announced an extension for Ukrainian refugees in the UK.

Ukraine Visa Scheme holders will be able to apply to stay in the UK for another 18 months with the same rights to work, benefits, healthcare and education.

The shock-haired populist’s failure to form a new Dutch government is partly because of his Freedom Party’s stance on Ukraine.

His now-ditched manifesto pledge to ban the Koran and continued support for a Brexit-style referendum on leaving the EU also remain problematic for his potential coalition allies.

Mark Rutte, the outgoing prime minister, said this weekend that Dutch support for Ukraine was guaranteed for the long term.

Mr Wilders would not be able to find any coalition partner willing to support his aim of cutting it, Mr Rutte claimed.

Mr Wilders’s outburst on social media was in response to a newspaper article that quoted the Dutch central registration facility for Ukrainian refugees as saying it was reaching capacity.

A local official said this was mainly due to an influx of Ukrainian men coming from other EU member states in search of a job, medical care or to reunite with family.

Mr Wilders was criticised for wearing a Russian friendship pin during a visit to Russia in 2018.

The visit came after the illegal annexation of Crimea and the downing of the MH17 passenger flight from Amsterdam by Kremlin-controlled forces. A total of 198 Dutch nationals died on the flight.

In the first parliamentary debate after his election victory, Mr Wilders was described as someone “who is friends with dictators and proud of it”.

“I completely distance myself from everything Putin has done,” he responded in the debate in December.