Russian Ambassador Overheard at DC Restaurant Complaining That US Jews Are ‘Tolerant of What’s Happening in Kyiv’

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Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov reportedly asked why “a lot of Jewish guys in the United States … are so tolerant of what’s happening in Kyiv.”

Politico’s Daniel Lippman first reported on Friday that remark and other statements in a conversation he overheard between Antonov, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Center for the National Interest president and CEO Dimitri Simes over lunch on Thursday at Café Milano, a hotspot in Washington for political and other bigwigs.

Antonov’s “Jewish guys” remark echoed Moscow’s belief that there are Nazis in Ukraine, which is led by a Jewish president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Also during the discussion, Antonov lamented the lack of “respect” Russia gets from the United States and, according to Lippman, Antonov “agreed when Khalilzad said ‘we need an agreement’ to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.”

When asked for comment, Russia’s embassy in the United States didn’t respond, while Khalilzad refused to comment. Simes took issue with Lippman’s reporting.

“It is clear to me that you did not even understand what the conversation was all about,” he told Lippman. “Indeed, you were not close enough to hear the conversation sufficiently well to be able to report it objectively.”