Ukraine condemns antisemitic statement by Russia's Lavrov

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has condemned Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's recent statement, which compared Russians with Jews killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust and the West with Adolf Hitler. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry's spokesman Oleh Nikolenko urged Israeli authorities and Jewish organizations to react to Lavrov's words.

According to Russian state-controlled news outlet TASS, Lavrov said on Jan. 18 that the U.S. has formed a coalition of European countries "for the final solution of 'the Russian question'" as Nazi leader Hitler "wanted to solve 'the Jewish question.'"

Lavrov also compared Ukraine's Western allies with the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte "who mobilized practically all of Europe against the Russian Empire."

Nikolenko wrote on Facebook that Lavrov's statement "tarnishes the memory of millions of the Holocaust victims," adding that "modern Russia is full of hatred for other nations."

"At the Nuremberg trials, (German) Foreign Minister Ribbentrop denied his participation in Nazis' crimes, but it did not help him avoid punishment. Just as Lavrov will not avoid punishment by presenting himself and Russia as a victim," reads Nikolenko's post.

In May 2022, Lavrov compared President Volodymyr Zelensky with Hitler, adding that "some of the worst antisemites are Jews."