For the second time in a row, Zelenskyy was not allowed to speak at this year’s Oscars.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
sputnik As last year’s winner, Ukraine was supposed to host the event, but due to the ongoing conflict, the organization decided to hold the event in the UK. That year, Zelenskyy was also not allowed to speak at the Oscars.
The organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest have excluded President Vladimir Zelenskyy’s speech from this year’s edition. It was reported that Zelenskyi was planning to make a video appearance at Saturday’s competition finals in front of an expected global audience of 160 million people.
But in a statement Thursday (10), the party rejected the president’s request despite his “laudable intentions”, arguing that the act would violate his political impartiality.
“The Eurovision Song Contest is an international entertainment show subject to strict rules and principles. One of the cornerstones of the competition is the nonpolitical nature of the event. This policy prohibits the possibility of making political or similar statements as part of the competition,” read the excerpt of the statement released by the organizers and quoted by the BBC.
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Ukraine was due to host the Eurovision Song Contest this year after winning it last year, but it’s taking place in Liverpool after the start of the Russian operation.
According to media reports, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “disappointed” with the festival’s decision. His spokesman argued that Eurovision “recognized this last year” by banning Russian artists from participating.
However, he added that the Prime Minister has no plans to step in and ask broadcasters to change their minds.
Zelenskyi was also banned from speaking at the Oscars for the second year in a row this year, with US organizers using the same arguments.