Ukrainian President Zelensky gives shoutout to Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis for their fundraising efforts.

Zelensky shared a picture taken during a video call with the celebrity couple to Twitter yesterday evening, thanking them for being “among the first to respond to our grief”.

The pair smashed their $30 million fundraising goal and have so far raised almost $35 million for the war-torn country. The couple matched donations up to $3 million.

Zelensky tweeted: “[Ashton Kutcher] & Mila Kunis were among the first to respond to our grief. They have already raised $35 million & are sending it to @flexport & @Airbnb to help [Ukrainian] refugees.

“Grateful for their support. Impressed by their determination. They inspire the world. #StandWithUkraine.”

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Kunis was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine in 1983, and moved to the US with her family in 1991.

On the GoFundMe page, she wrote: “Ukrainians are proud and brave people who deserve our help in their time of need. This unjust attack on Ukraine and humanity at large is devastating and the Ukrainian people need our support.”

The fund will benefit Flexport and Airbnb, companies that are both providing help on the ground in Ukraine.

Flexport is organising shipments of relief goods to refugee sites across eastern Europe including Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova, while Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees fleeing Ukraine.

Three days ago the couple revealed that the target had been hit, and said that they are overwhelmed with gratitude for people’s support.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered.

• To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here.
• To sign the petition click here.
• If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.

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