Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised actors Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher in a tweet Sunday for raising more than $30 million to help Ukrainians after a video call with the celebrity couple, which he referred to in his daily statement.
Kutcher retweeted a message from Zelenskyy posted on Twitter that included a photo of a computer screen on Zelenskyy’s desk showing him, Kunis and Kutcher apparently having a conversation. Kunis, who was born in Ukraine, also tweeted the photo, though neither actor commented on it.
The two “were among the first to respond to our grief,” Zelenskyy noted in the tweet. “They have already raised [close to] $35 million ... to help refugees.”
He added: “Grateful for their support. Impressed by their determination. They inspire the nation.”
In a statement Monday in Ukraine about various events concerning the Russian invasion, Zelenskyy noted that he had spoken with Kutcher and Kunis. He called them a “star couple who sincerely believe in us, in our victory, in our future.”
“They help IDPs [internally displaced refugees] by raising funds. And the two of them have already raised [close to] $35 million,” he added.
“I thanked them on behalf of our people, on behalf of all of us. This is a good result for one couple of our friends in America,” Zelenskyy said.
He added: “We are working to make the whole world our friends.” (Zelenskyy refers to the couple in a videotape of his statement at 4:53 in the video up top.)
Kunis and Kutcher initially promised earlier this month to match $3 million in donations to assist Ukrainians fleeing their nation amid the Russian invasion.
They were stunned and “overwhelmed with gratitude” by the flood of contributions that poured in from some 65,000 people when they launched their call for aid, they said in an Instagram post last Thursday. They announced they had quickly met their goal of $30 million — and more, and decided to keep fundraising.
“Our work is not done,” Kutcher said in the post. “Please don’t stop donating,” said Kunis. “This is just the beginning of a very, very long journey.”
The couple could not immediately be reached by HuffPost.