Israel Summons Russian Ambassador over Lavrov’s ‘Nazi’ Remarks

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned on Monday, the Russian ambassador to Tel Aviv, Anatoly Viktorov, to a clarification session.

This step came following statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in which he compared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

According to Israeli media, Israeli Foreign Minister (FM) Yair Lapid described his Russian counterpart's statements as "blatant, unforgivable, and a terrible historical mistake."

"The Jews did not kill themselves in the Holocaust. The lowest level of racism against Jews is accusing themselves of anti-Semitism,” Lapid added.

In an interview with an Italian TV channel, Lavrov said, “So what if Zelensky is Jewish. The fact does not negate the Nazi elements in Ukraine. I believe that Hitler also had Jewish blood."