Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Is “Grateful” For Mila Kunis & Ashton Kutcher

As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is thankful to have Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher in his corner. On Sunday, March 20, Zelensky expressed his gratitude for the A-list celebrity couple after they raised nearly $35 million toward refugee and humanitarian aid efforts.

“@aplusk & Mila Kunis were among the first to respond to our grief,” the politician wrote on Twitter. “They have already raised $35 million & are sending it to @flexport & @Airbnb to help refugees. Grateful for their support. Impressed by their determination. They inspire the world. #StandWithUkraine.”

According to NPR, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights claims that 902 civilians have been killed in the war in Ukraine so far and another 1,459 have been wounded. However, the office also warned that the actual number of casualties is likely “considerably higher.”

Kunis and Kutcher set up their GoFundMe campaign on March 3, exactly one week after Russia’s military invasion first began. Kunis, a Ukraine native, explained in the campaign’s description why it is so important for her to use her platform to help Ukrainians caught in the conflict.

“Today, I am a proud Ukrainian,” she wrote. “While my family came to the United States in 1991, I was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine in 1983. Ukrainians are proud and brave people who deserve our help in their time of need.” The Bad Moms star went on to call the invasion an “unjust attack on Ukraine and humanity at large.”

After pledging to match up to $3 million in donations, the couple explained that countless Ukrainians “left everything they know and love behind to seek refuge.” “With nothing but what they could carry, these Ukrainian refugees are in need of housing and supplies right away,” they wrote.

The donations will go to Flexport.org and Airbnb.org. Airbnb is providing free, short-term housing to Ukrainian refugees, and Flexport is sending shipments of relief supplies to refugee sites in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova. In a March 17 update, the pair revealed that they already achieved their $30 million goal.

“Over $30 million raised and over 65,000 of you donated,” they wrote, adding that they are “overwhelmed with gratitude.” “While this is far from a solve to the problem, our collective effort will provide a softer landing for so many people as they forge ahead into their future of uncertainty,” they added. “We want to say thank you so much for your continued support. This is just the beginning to a very very long journey.”