President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said there are "very beautiful people, especially women" in Ukraine.
He made this remark during a visit to the world's biggest startup campus Station F in France.
"By the way, I want to say, to boast a little of Ukraine and Ukrainians. There was always a view around the world that Ukraine is, first of all, about agriculture, mines and metallurgists. And tourists said that Ukraine is very beautiful, very tasty and [there are] very beautiful people, especially women. Yes, all of this is there, and it remains our brand. But there are other figures that show that the IT industry, IT technologies and companies are developing very quickly in Ukraine, and more than 4% of Ukraine’s GDP is now made through compensation, through the IT industry, thanks to IT companies. There are more than 150,000 IT people, startups in Ukraine. I think that we will develop in this direction" Zelenskyy said.
In 2011, then President Viktor Yanukovych invited foreign investors to look at "women undressing".
During a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Yanukovych called on the audience to come to Ukraine in the spring when, according to the head of state, "chestnuts bloom and women undress".
Zelenskyy's remarks caused a stir among Ukrainian bloggers, many of them accusing the president of objectifying women.