By Chantal Da Silva -
NBC News
American actor Ben Stiller met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in kyiv on Monday to mark World Refugee Day.
The Hollywood star praised the Ukrainian president - who was also a comedian and actor - and called him a hero during the meeting: "You're amazing," he told him.
Stiller visited Zelenskyy in his capacity as an ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency.
It comes at a time when the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to force millions of people to flee the war-torn country, exacerbating a growing global crisis that has seen the number of displaced people exceed 100 million for the first time in history. history.
[Family of missing US veteran in Ukraine fear he may have been captured by Russian forces]
"It's a great honor for me," said Stiller, who was appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in July 2018, in the video that captured the meeting.
“It's really wonderful, you're my hero.
You are amazing,” he stated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center left, and actor and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Ben Stiller, right, speak during their meeting in kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, June 20, 2022.Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP
"We know you very well," Zelenskyy said of the star of films such as
Zoolander
,
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
or
Tropic Thunde
r.
The couple found common ground in their shared roots in the entertainment industry.
Zelenskyy previously played a Ukrainian president on a popular TV show before his real-life landslide election victory in 2019.
"You've given up a great acting career for this," Stiller told Zelenskyy, praising the president for his leadership in the war.
"Not as big as you," joked the Ukrainian leader.
"No, but it's pretty big," Stiller replied.
"But what you've done and the way you've brought the country and the world together is really inspiring," he replied.
[Russian Journalist Dmitry Muratov Auctions His Nobel Peace Medal for $103 Million to Help Ukrainian Children]
Sitting down with Stiller, the Ukrainian leader said that although it is "not interesting to talk about the war every day," he said that "for us it is very important."
Pressuring the Kremlin to end the war, which began almost four months ago, is "very difficult" when "people forget to talk about it," Zelenskyy explained, before thanking Stiller for drawing attention to the conflict.
Moved by what he saw during his trip to Ukraine, Stiller said, "I think it's hard to understand what's really going on here if you haven't been here."
"Just the real impact of coming here," he said.
“The level of destruction… You see it on TV, you see it on social media.
It's another thing to really see and feel it,” she noted.
[Sanctions force Russia to make popular car without airbags or other safety features]
Stiller was accompanied by the UNHCR representative in Ukraine, Karolina Lindholm Billing.
They visited Zelenskyy's office after seeing the region around kyiv, including the dilapidated residential areas of Irpin, where they spoke with people who survived the occupation by Russian forces, according to a press release from Zelenskyy's office.
The actor also met with the new US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, who stated in a tweet that Stiller's visit had brought "much-needed attention to humanitarian needs during the largest and fastest growing humanitarian crisis in living memory." ”.
Politicians and celebrities from around the world have visited Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, and actress Angelina Jolie visited Lviv in April to meet with war-affected children.
[What will Biden do if Putin uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine? This is what the experts say]
More than 12 million people have fled their homes since Russia launched its invasion, according to the United Nations.
More than five million have sought refuge in countries in Europe, while more than seven million are believed to have been displaced within the country.