Russia Accuses Israel of Supporting Neo-Nazis in Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Israel on Tuesday of supporting neo-Nazis in Ukraine.

Lavrov's statements added further escalating a row that began when he claimed Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was of Jewish descent.

Yesterday, Israel criticized Lavrov, saying his claim, made while speaking about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is a Jew, was an "unforgivable" slander that downplayed the tragedies of the Holocaust.

The leaders of several Western countries condemned Lavrov's statements, and Zelensky accused Russia of forgetting the lessons of World War II.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the statements of Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid "contradict history" and "largely explain why the current Israeli government supports the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv."

Moscow reiterated Lavrov's view that the fact that Zelensky was of Jewish origin did not preclude the neo-Nazis from ruling Ukraine.