Vivek Ramaswamy calls Ukraine’s Zelensky a ‘Nazi’ during GOP presidential debate

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Republican presidential candidate businessman Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by NBC News, Nov. 8, 2023, in Miami. (AP/Rebecca Blackwell)
Republican presidential candidate businessman Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by NBC News, Nov. 8, 2023, in Miami. (AP/Rebecca Blackwell)

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy calls Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky a “Nazi” during tonight’s GOP debate in Miami.

Asked whether he’s convinced by Zelensky’s calls for more aid from the US to assist in the war against Russia, Ramaswamy says he is not and claims that a growing number of Republicans are beginning to follow his lead in opposing US involvement in the matter.

“Ukraine is not a paragon of democracy. This is a country that has banned 11 opposition parties. It has consolidated all media into one state TV media arm — that’s not democratic. It has threatened not to hold elections this year unless the US forks over more money — that is not democratic. It has celebrated a Nazi in its ranks, the comedian in cargo pants, a man called Zelensky… That is not democratic,” Ramaswamy says of the Ukrainian president, who is Jewish.

“The regions of Ukraine that are occupied by Russia right now in the Donbas: Luhansk and Donetsk. These are Russian-speaking regions that have not even been part of Ukraine since 2014.”

“To frame this as some kind of battle between good versus evil, don’t buy it,” he claims.

Most Popular
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.