Entertainment
Ben Stiller spotted in Ukraine after meeting families in Lviv to support refugees affected by Russian war-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro
He says it is a ‘collective global responsibility’ to protect those forced to flee their homes.
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Ben Stiller visited Ukraine on World Refugee Day after recently arriving in Poland to meet with those affected by the ongoing war with Russia.
The actor, 56, has said ‘seeking safety is a right and it needs to be upheld for every person’ during his visit to Poland and Ukraine.
Stiller, 56, arrived in Poland on Saturday and was pictured in the large south-eastern city of Rzeszow, close to the border, speaking to aid workers in a storage facility.
The American star, who is a long-term Goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – the UN refugee agency – has since visited Ukraine on World Refugee Day.
In a video posted to his Instagram account, he said: ‘Hey, I’m Ben Stiller, and I’m here in Ukraine. I’m meeting people who’ve been impacted by the war and hearing how it’s changed their lives.
‘War and violence are devastating people all over the world. Nobody chooses to flee their home.’
Stiller met with children and their families affected by the war with Russia, which began following an invasion by President Putin (Picture: UNHCR via Reuters)
He says everyone has a right to safety (Picture: UNHCR via Reuters)
Since the outbreak of war in February, millions of Ukrainians have fled to Poland.
On June 18, Stiller met with Ukrainian refugee Marina, who fled the city of Kharkiv with her three children two months ago.
He started working with the UNHCR in 2016 and has travelled with the body to meet refugees in Germany, Jordan, Guatemala and Lebanon.
In a statement to mark World Refugee Day, the Zoolander and Night At The Museum actor said: ‘I’m here meeting people forced to flee their homes due to the war in Ukraine.
Stiller wants the rest of the world to remember that conflict could affect anyone (Picture: UNHCR via Reuters)
‘People have shared stories about how the war has changed their lives – how they’ve lost everything and are deeply worried about their future.’
He continued: ‘Over the years I’ve had the chance to meet refugees and asylum seekers from around the world-from Syria, Central America, Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Ukraine.
‘In so many parts of the world, war and violence devastate people and leave lasting traumatic effects. Wherever and whenever it happens, nobody chooses to flee their home.’
The actor recently arrived in Poland to chat with workers at a storage facility (Picture: PA)
Stiller added that it is a ‘collective global responsibility’ to protect those forced to flee their homes, saying that we all have to remember ‘this could happen to anyone, anywhere.’
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He isn’t the only celebrity showing their support for refugees and all affected by conflict in recent months, with the likes of Mila Kunis and Aston Kutcher raising $35,000,00 (£27m) for Ukraine.
They also pledged $3m (£2.2m) of their own money, with Kunis having been born in Ukraine before moving to the US as a child.
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