Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for support from Jewish people in the United States on Monday.
During a Zoom call with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Zelensky, who is Jewish, likened the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the terrible actions of Nazi Germany and warned “all of these millions of [Ukrainians] are going to be exterminated.”
“All of this happened during Nazi times,” Zelensky said. He decried what he said was “Nazi behavior” by Russia, adding, “I can’t even qualify this in any different manner,” according to Reuters, which noted the Ukrainian leader continues to push for more lethal aid, namely more fighter aircraft, from the West and a no-fly zone declaration from NATO.
In making his case for just how bad the devastation is in his country, Zelensky listed cities and towns brought to rubble by Russian attacks and bemoaned the lack of agreement on ceasefires that would allow civilians to escape or food and water to be brought into embattled areas.
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“The survival of the Ukrainian nation — the question will be the same as antisemitism,” Zelensky said.
He detailed attacks on a bakery and a hospital, explaining that 50 pediatric cancer patients had to be moved when their hospital came under fire. “They’re bombing the life out of everything that is moving,” he said.
In late February, Russian President Vladimir Putin began the invasion of Ukraine with a so-called special military operation he claimed was meant to demilitarize and “de-Nazify” the country.
Roughly 2 million people fled Ukraine in the first 12 days of the conflict. Several countries are allowing refugees in, including Israel, which is taking in tens of thousands of refugees beyond those expected to arrive as part of Jewish immigration, according to the Times of Israel.
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“The sights of war in Ukraine and the suffering experienced by its citizens rattle the soul and don’t allow us to remain indifferent,” Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said Tuesday.
