'The View' host Joy Behar's comments about her Italy vacation during a discussion about the Ukraine crisis are sparking backlash

• Joy Behar spoke about hoping to travel to Italy during a discussion of Ukraine on "The View."
• She brought up her travel plans after a co-host mentioned Ukrainians dying and being displaced.

"The View" co-host Joy Behar has come under fire after she expressed concerns on the daytime talk show that her plans to travel to Italy would be affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"I'm scared about what will happen to western Europe, too," Behar said during Thursday's show as she and her co-hosts discussed the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

"You know, you plan a trip. You want to go there. I want to go to Italy for four years and I haven't been able to make it because of the [coronavirus] pandemic," Behar said.

She added, "And now this. It's like, 'What's gonna happen there?'"

—Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) February 24, 2022

Behar made the comments after co-host Sunny Hostin mentioned "estimates are 50,000 Ukrainians will be dead or wounded and that this is going to start a humanitarian crisis, a refugee crisis, in Europe."

"We're talking about 5 million people that are going to be displaced," Hostin said. "It's heartbreaking to hear what's going to happen."

Earlier this week, Putin authorized a full-scale attack on Ukraine. In the hours that followed, explosions pounded cities around Ukraine, many hundreds of miles from the previous conflict zone. Ukrainian officials reported fighting on its borders with Russia, and dozens of casualties.

The new wave of hostilities expanded the clash from a limited incursion over disputed land into the most serious armed conflict in Europe for at least a decade.

Insider's live blog of the invasion is covering developments as they happen.

During Thursday's segment, "The View" co-hosts were joined by ABC News chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz live from Ukraine. Behar said that she was "disgusted by some on the right who have seemed to embrace [Russian President Vladimir Putin] over America's own interests."

"To me they are aiding and abetting and giving comfort to the enemy," Behar said.

As Insider's senior politics reporter John Haltiwanger wrote on Wednesday, Former President Donald Trump and "many leading conservative figures have been praising Russian President Vladimir Putin as he threatens Ukraine with war."

Following "The View" broadcast, Behar faced backlash on social media for her fears over her Italy trip.

"#joybehar we are all so sorry you can't vacation in Italy this year. You are ignorant and beyond selfish like the rest of the View!" one Twitter user commented.

"God grant me the absolute confidence and egocentricity of Joy Behar complaining that a war ruined her vacation plans while the bombs are still literally dropping," another person wrote.

Several other tweets criticizing Behar's statements racked up tens of thousands of likes and retweets.

A spokesperson "The View" did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on Friday.