Israel says Vladimir Putin apologized over Hitler comments made by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a few days ago. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett confirmed the call.
The statement was released by Bennett’s office. “The Prime Minister accepted President Putin’s apology for Lavrov’s remarks and thanked him for clarifying the President’s attitude towards the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust.
As Russia was trying to justify the invasion of Ukraine, Sergei Lavrov mentioned the “de-Nazification” agenda they have. Ukraine happen to be led by a Jewish president. He added that Hitler himself had Jewish blood and that most who are anti-Jews are Jews themselves. At the moment that these statements were made, Russia’s ambassador to Israel was summoned. Bennett immediately responded that these claims were lies.
Putin and Bennet also discussed the situation in Ukraine, particularly the evacuation of residents from the Azovstal plant’s site, according to the Kremlin. According to the Kremlin, Putin stated that the Russian military was prepared to ensure the safe evacuation of inhabitants from the Azovstal. Kyiv should order the “militants to put down their arms,” he said.
This Monday, the Azovstal steel complex in the southern city of Mariupol, where soldiers and residents had been sheltering from Russian aggression for weeks, was bombarded. CNN was able to geo-locate video from the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) administration to the Azovstal steel mill, with CNN analysis putting the damage this week.
According to Downing Street, Johnson also reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to helping Ukraine gather evidence on war crimes.
Finally, the two leaders reviewed Johnson’s recent speech to the Ukrainian parliament. Zelensky praised the prime minister on Twitter. According to the readout from Downing Street, Zelensky informed Johnson that the response was “heartfelt, showing the importance of the UK’s support for Ukraine.”