‘You’re my hero’: Watch the moment Hollywood star Ben Stiller meets Ukraine’s president Zelensky
Hollywood actor Ben Stiller praised Ukraine’s president Vlodymyr Zelensky as his “hero” during a meeting in Kyiv as part of his United Nations duties.
The entertainer was in Ukraine n his role as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador (UNHCR).
During the encounter, for World Refugee Day, the two embraced and Stiller said it was “really good to meet you”, while Zelensky, who was an actor before becoming president, said “we know you very well”.
Stiller, who has been a UN ambassador since 2016, complimented the president saying. “You’re my hero, you’re amazing”.
Zelensky previously portrayed a fictional Ukrainian president before successfully running for the real top job, and was told “you quit a great acting career for this”. The president responded to Stiller, “not so great as yours”.
This comes after the United Nations estimates 13 million Ukrainians have been forced from their homes due to the war. Around 5 million refugees have been recorded across Europe, while millions of others have been internally displaced.
Tweeting after his meeting, Stiller wrote: “It was an honour to meet President @ZelenskyyUa on #WorldRefugeeDay as part of my visit with UNHCR @Refugees to stand in solidarity with people forced to flee in Ukraine and worldwide, and bring more attention to the humanitarian situation.”