Ukrainian Holocaust Survivor Issues Stark Warning About Trump-Putin Negotiations: 'Never Again Has Arrived'

A Ukrainian Holocaust survivor is urging opponents of learn lessons from the Jewish people's plea during World War II and use them to strongly oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

In an op-ed published on the third anniversary of the invasion, Roman Shvartsman, the chairman of the Odesa Association of Jews, drew parallels between Adolf Hitler and Putin, saying the former "wanted to kill me because I am Jewish," while the latter wants to do so "because I am Ukrainian."

Referencing promises made after the Holocaust, Shvartsman said. "You swore: 'Never again.' This 'Never again' has arrived. If you are serious, you must support Ukraine differently than you have before. Even if you have already done a lot, we now need action."

Shvartsman specified that those who made the claim after the Holocaust should take action in Ukraine because "Never again" also means standing up for "defenseless victims" and "crimes against humanity." He went on to say that Russia wants to "conquer and destroy" Ukraine as an independent state "because of our freedom." "Because we want to be part of a free Europe, not a Russian colony."

In another passage of the op-ed, Shvartsman criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's recent comments about his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he called a dictator, as well as insinuations that Kyiv started the war. Claiming "we cannot understand what the American president says and writes," he urged Europe to "finally realize that the era of comfort and prosperity is over." "Freedom is not free," he added.

That is why he is calling the continent, especially the European Union, to step up, as "the war will not end with Putin conquering Ukraine." "If Russia is not stopped in Ukraine, the threat of war for all of Europe will grow," Shvartsman added, recalling that "calculations didn't work" in the 1938 Munich pact and anticipating they "won't work this time if you abandon Ukraine."

"This is also your front, which Putin has opened in Eastern Europe. Finally, realize this. Have the courage now, or your free societies will also perish," Shvartsman concluded. His warning comes as Ukrainian President Zelensky is set to meet with Trump at the White House on Friday as the latter anticipates the signing of a "very big agreement." The deal, centered on U.S. access to Ukraine's rare minerals, marks a significant development and is seen as a first step toward potentially ending the war.