April 3 – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a surprise video appearance at the music industry’s star-studded Grammy Awards ceremony in Las Vegas on Sunday, urging viewers to support his country “in any way they can”.
“What is more the opposite of music? The silence of destroyed cities and killed people,” Zelenskiy said in the video, which introduced John Legend’s performance of “Free” and featured Ukrainian musicians and a reading by Ukrainian poet Lyuba Yakimchuck.
“Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today to tell our story. Support us in any way you can. Any way, but not silence,” said Zelenskiy, wearing his now signature olive green T-shirt English, his voice hoarse.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the audience of the 64th Grammy Awards show on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine through a video feed during the Grammy show on April 3, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
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War erupted in Ukraine more than a month ago after Russian military forces invaded, displacing millions of civilians and reducing cities to rubble. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation”.
Actor-turned-war leader Zelenskiy, 44, has used nightly videos to great effect at home, often unshaven and in a T-shirt, and also beamed his image directly into parliaments around the world.
He has solicited allies in speeches before the US Congress, the Japanese National Council, the British and Australian parliaments and the Israeli Knesset, and on Sunday chose an event dedicated to the universal language of music to spur support for his country.
“Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos, they sing for the wounded, in hospitals, even for those who can’t hear them, but the music will break through,” he said.
Reporting by Maria Caspani, Rami Ayyub and Daniel Trotta; Edited by Christopher Cushing and Stephen Coates