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Following an embarrassing and controversial moment last week, Canada’s House Speaker, Anthony Rota, announced Tuesday he is stepping down from his position.

He is saying that he made a mistake when last Friday he honored former Nazi soldier Yaroslav Hunka during a House session attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. It was later revealed Hunka had served in one of Adolf Hitler’s Waffen SS units during World War Two.

Rota says he deeply regrets his mistake.

The incident played into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s justification for invading Ukraine. Putin has always listed a desire to “demilitarize and denazify” Ukraine as central to his decision to invade.

This claim has been denounced by Ukraine and its Western allies.