Zelensky regrets that "hate for everything Ukrainian" is Russia's "driving force"

MADRID, 13 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, has pointed out that "hate for everything Ukrainian" is the "motive force" of Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, to continue with the war, which began at the end of February.

According to the president, Russia feels "hatred" for Ukraine's culture, its history and for the fact that, despite "the horrors of the past", the country remains "good" and "open to different cultures."

"Diversity is an important characteristic of Ukraine," Zelensky praised during an intervention before the American Jewish Committee, according to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.

These words of the Ukrainian head of state are in line with those launched by the president of the United States, Joe Biden, who warned that Moscow was not only seeking a territorial invasion of Ukraine, but also to end its culture.

Taking advantage of the scenario, the Ukrainian president recalled one of Russia's first major attacks against Ukraine, such as the bombing of Babi Yar in the capital, kyiv, a place used by the Nazis during their occupation of Ukraine to massacre Jews.

Along the same lines, Zelensky recalled the Russian attack on Drobitski Yar, another ravine located in the Kharkov region and also the scene of the murder of more than 16,000 Soviet citizens, mostly Jews, by Nazi Germany.

"Russia's openly anti-Semitic comments have caused a worldwide scandal," said Zelenski, who stressed that the present differs from the 1940s and, therefore, there is no room for anti-Semitism.

Broadening the range and going beyond attacks on Jewish memorials, the president has pointed out that since the beginning of the conflict, Russian troops have attacked churches, destroyed ancient Greek or Tatar settlements in Crimea.