Russia's President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "not a Jew," but rather a "disgrace to the Jewish people."
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Speaking at an annual economic forum in St. Petersburg, Putin said, "I have a lot of Jewish friends. They say that Zelenskyy is not Jewish, that he is a disgrace to the Jewish people.
Video: Reuters
Responding to the claim, Ukraine's Chief Rabbi Moshe Reuven Azman said he was proud of Zelenskyy.
"I'm proud of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who stood with his nation at the beginning of the war even though it was a danger to his life, showed extraordinary courage, and continues to defend the Ukrainian people. I, along with all of Ukrainian Jewish society and the entire free world, support President Zelenskyy," he said.
Former Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky also expressed support for the Ukrainian president.
"Ukrainians can be proud of electing a Jewish president, who has united the Ukrainian people in a difficult struggle against barbaric aggression. And we Jews can be proud that a representative of our people plays such a unique historical role in mobilizing not only the Ukrainian people, but the entire free world, to protect our future," he said.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk later suggested that Putin made the remarks due to the upcoming trip to Israel by Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
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