Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy appeared to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “Nazi” during the GOP debate Wednesday, with his campaign later seeking to clarify his remarks.
During a sweeping critique of the Ukrainian government, the entrepreneur and vocal Ukraine critic ticked off a number of ways in which he argued that Kyiv was “undemocratic.”
“Ukraine is not a paragon of democracy,” Ramaswamy said. “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 U.S. forks over more money. That is not democratic.”
“It celebrated a Nazi in its ranks — the comedian in cargo pants, a man called Zelensky — doing it in their own ranks. That is not democratic,” he continued.
Ramaswamy’s campaign later told The Hill and other outlets that the candidate did not intend to refer to Zelensky when he made the Nazi comment.
The campaign said Ramaswamy was rather meaning to speak of an incident in the Canadian Parliament in September where the Parliament celebrated a 98-year-old Ukrainian-Canadian veteran who was later identified as having served in the Nazi military.
The Parliament gave the veteran a standing ovation after Zelensky addressed the body. The Canadian House Speaker later resigned over the incident.
Ramaswamy has been one of the most critical candidates toward Ukraine and has advocated for the U.S. to stop sending support to the country. Last month, he proposed a foreign policy plan that would advocate ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia to end the conflict.
Zelensky, generally considered to be an anti-establishment liberal, is a close ally of the U.S. The first-term president said this week that it is “not the right time” for elections, citing the logistical challenges of voting after so many Ukrainians fled the country to escape the war and thousands more fight on the front lines.
The law limiting press freedom Ramaswamy pointed to came under fire when it was signed at the end of last year. The legislation provided the Ukrainian government greater regulatory control over press outlets.
The Ukrainian government also advanced a bill targeting the Orthodox Church last month, which Ramaswamy also called a move that was “not democratic.” The church has historically had ties to the Russian government, but moves to investigate church leadership have been criticized as limiting religious freedom.
The Biden administration requested $100 billion in emergency spending late last month, including $61 billion for Ukraine aid. Republicans in Congress are divided over the measure, which also includes support for Israel amidst its war against Hamas in Gaza.
Updated: 11:10 p.m.