Zelensky praises Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher for £26m Ukraine appeal

Ukrainian president thanked the actors for being ‘among the first to respond to our grief’ via video call

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher for “their support” after they raised nearly $35m (£2m) for the war-torn country.

The couple spoke with Zelensky via video call following their efforts to secure public donations to help supply humanitarian aid to Ukrainians displaced by Russian president Vladimir Putin’s ongoing invasion, now in its fourth week.

On Sunday (20 March), Zelensky shared a photo on Twitter taken during the call, praising them as “among the first to respond to our grief.”

He continued: “They have already raised $35m & are sending it to @flexport & @Airbnb to help (Ukrainian) refugees.”

“Grateful for their support. Impressed by their determination. They inspire the world,” he added, with the hashtag #StandWithUkraine.

Earlier this month, the couple committed to matching donations made to rental company Airbnb and freight transporter Flexport up to $3m (£2.2m), with the aim of raising $30m (£22.7m).

They reached their target on Thursday (17 March) with the total continuing to grow.

Kunis described herself as a “proud Ukrainian” as she launched the fundraiser. Kunis was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine in 1983, before moving with her family to the USA in 1991.

At the time, 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.”

Kunis and Kutcher, who married in 2015 and share two children, promised to do “everything we can” to ensure that the money “finds maximum impact with those in need”.

Fellow celebrity couple Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively also previously pledged to match donations up to $1m (£750,000) to support Ukrainian refugees.

They urged people to donate to humanitarian charity US for UNHCR to help the thousands of citizens displaced by the war, promising to double the amount raised.

Additional reporting by Press Association