Putin: Zelensky isn’t a Jew, he’s a ‘disgrace’ to the Jewish people

By World Israel News Staff

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, was a “disgrace” to the Jewish people.

“I have a lot of Jewish friends,” Putin told an annual economic forum in Saint Petersburg. “They say that Zelensky is not Jewish, that he is a disgrace to the Jewish people.”

“This is not a joke and not an attempt at irony, because today neo-Nazis are placed on a pedestal belonging to Ukrainian heroes, who continued Adolf Hitler’s work. Six million Jews were annihilated in the Holocaust, and one and a half million of them were killed in Ukraine,” he claimed in his speech.

Ukraine’s Ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, called on Israel to issue a condemnation of his remarks, which he referred to as a “calculated attack” ahead of a visit by Zelensky’s wife, Olena, to Israel.

“We need to take into account that Putin is attempting to undermine relations between Israel and Ukraine ahead of the visit of President Zelensky’s wife to Israel, intentionally making these statements prior to Saturday, which is a holy day for Jews,” he told the Ynet news site.

“We expect the Israeli government to strongly condemn Putin’s remarks, as failure to do so may lead to the postponement or cancellation of the visit of President Zelensky’s wife to Israel,” Kornichuk added. Zelensky’s wife, Olena Zelenska, is scheduled to arrive in Israel next week.

“Zelensky takes Putin’s words personally. Putin’s remarks are antisemitic and hurtful to the Jewish people. I believe that Israel should be proud of Ukraine’s president, who is of Jewish descent and wholeheartedly defends his homeland.”

“When he criticizes Zelensky, he also criticizes the Jewish people. We belong to the same side in this conflict,” he added.