MOSCOW 

Russia on Thursday rejected objections by the European Jewish Congress (EJC) over comparing the US to Adolf Hitler.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the congress discredited itself long ago when it ignored what it called manifestations of antisemitism and glorification of Nazi ideology in Ukraine.

"The opinion of an organization that has ignored the catastrophic level of antisemitism in Ukraine for many years is not interesting.

"The European Jewish Congress managed not to notice the symbols of the (Nazi) SS, swastikas, and glorification of Nazi collaborators by the Kyiv regime. The structure has discredited itself in this direction," the ministry told Russia's state-run TASS news agency.

Speaking earlier at a news conference in Moscow on Russia’s foreign policy in 2022, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Washington seeks "the final solution of the Russian question” – using a term referring to the Holocaust – just as Hitler wanted to solve what he called the "Jewish question."

"The US formed a coalition of almost all Europeans who are members of NATO and the EU and through Ukraine by proxy are waging war against our country with the same task – the final solution of the ‘Russian question.’ Hitler wanted to finally solve the ‘Jewish question’," said Lavrov.

The European Jewish Congress called Lavrov's remarks "shameful" and demanded that he "unequivocally apologize and withdraw these comments.”

Since Russia launched the Ukraine war last February, it has cited what it calls “de-Nazification” of Ukraine as a justification.

While acknowledging the presence of Nazi-like elements in Ukraine, most international observers say these are fringe elements in a large country and the “de-Nazification” argument is a flimsy pretext for the deadly, destructive, and costly war.