"The second king of antisemitism after Hitler": Zelenskyy comments on Putin's deplorable vitriol
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked the international community for its support following an insulting statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who called the Ukrainian leader "a disgrace to the Jewish people."
Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with the BBC
The interviewer asked the Ukrainian president about his reaction to President Putin telling an international conference in St Petersburg last week that he was a disgrace to the Jewish people. Zelenskyy lost many of his relatives in the Holocaust, including his grandfather, and it was clear that he was taken by surprise by the question, writes the BBC.
He took a deep breath, put his head down, and a few seconds later said he wasn't quite sure how to answer the question.
Quote: "It's like he doesn't fully understand his words. Apologies, but it's like he is the second king of antisemitism after Hitler.
This is a president speaking. A civilised world cannot speak that way. But it was important for me to hear the reaction of the world and I am grateful for the support."
Background:
- Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, said that "his Jewish friends" call President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "a disgrace to the Jewish people."
- Moshe Azman, the chief rabbi of Ukraine, has responded to Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin, saying that there are no neo-Nazis in Ukraine and that the whole world is proud of Zelenskyy.
- The Jewish Confederation of Ukraine has responded to an insult made by Vladimir Putin, saying that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a hero not only to the Jewish people, but to the entire political Ukrainian nation.
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