Ideology of racism, anti-Semitism, intolerance in modern Ukraine has no chance – Zelensky

KYIV. Sept 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington said that the ideology of racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance in modern Ukraine has no chance.

"Unfortunately, adherents of the ideas of xenophobia and Nazism exist in the modern world, in different countries, in different manifestations. What is their role and influence in modern Ukraine? Less than zero. Does the ideology of racism and intolerance have a chance in modern Ukraine? Not a single chance," Zelenskiy said, speaking to leaders of Jewish organizations at the Holocaust Museum in Washington.

"And a convincing response to the propaganda of some third countries, which sometimes call Ukrainians Nazis or anti-Semites, is obvious: the Ukrainians have elected me president of Ukraine," he said.

According to Zelensky, "the people of Ukraine, who survived Babyn Yar on their land, cannot have the ‘germs’ of anti-Semitism and Nazism at the genetic level."

He also said that "any genocide and war always begins with isolation, murder, arrest."

"Today, Ukraine is building a state in a war environment. It must not be forgotten and it is impossible not to notice it. Do not be indifferent to the war in Donbas, to the occupation of Crimea, to Ukraine," the president said.

Zelensky also donated digitized copies of 43 Yiddish letters from the 1943 Unread Letters collection to the Holocaust Museum in Washington.