Zelensky was banned from participating in the Eurovision final

last year, Ukraine was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, With “Stefania” by Kalush Orchestra. Therefore, it should have hosted the competition this year, but the war that engulfed the country ended up leading the organization to decide that the United Kingdom, in second place, would be the host country.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the competition, confirmed that “Zelensky’s request to address the audience of the Eurovision Song Contest, although it was submitted with commendable intentions, unfortunately cannot be approved because it violates the rules of the event.”

“One of the pillars of the competition is the non-political nature of the event. This principle prohibits political or similar statements during the competition,” the French news agency (Agence France-Presse) quoted the organization as saying.

Greetings to Ukraine

The country, which Russia invaded months earlier, won with a total of 631 votes, 439 of them by the public vote. And the European Broadcasting Union confirmed that this year’s final, which will witness participation from 26 countries, will witness a strong tribute to Ukraine, with eleven Ukrainian artists on stage, including the Kalush Orchestra.

The videos broadcast during the night will show different places in Ukraine. Liverpool also unveiled a “Symbol of Hope” monument for Ukraine, an aluminum statue of a man holding a book from which a dove with a Ukrainian flag is dodged.

Russia was excluded from the competitionas in the 2022 edition.