Ukraine President Zelensky is barred from addressing nations at Eurovision final-Josie Copson-Entertainment – Metro

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wanted to make an address at Eurovision (Picture: EPA)

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky asked to make a speech at the Eurovision song contest.

His request was blocked by The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), who produce the music competition.

Zelensky, 45, wanted to make the address during the final but the EBU have now explained why they couldn’t grant his request.

‘The Eurovision Song Contest is an international entertainment show and governed by strict rules and principles which have been established since its creation,’ their statement begins.

‘As part of these, one of the cornerstones of the contest is the non-political nature of the event.

‘This principle prohibits the possibility of making political or similar statements as part of the contest.’

It is against Eurovision’s rules to make political statements (Picture: EPA)

The EBU then commended Zelensky for his ‘laudable intentions.’

‘The request by Mr Zelensky to address the audience at the Eurovision Song Contest, whilst made with laudable intentions, regrettably cannot be granted by the European Broadcasting Union management as it would be against the rules of the event.’

The UK is hosting the Eurovision song contest on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine, whose victory came from Kalush Orchestra’s Stefania.

Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra won Eurovision 2022 (Picture: Patricia J. Garcinuno/Getty Images)

UK entrant Sam Ryder placed second behind Kalush Orchestra, and so Liverpool have the honour of hosting.

Zelensky has now spoken on the decision, and his desire for the situation to be different.

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He said while he has ‘lots of respect’ for the UK and it is an ‘amazing country’, he wishes that a country that shares a border with Ukraine, such as Poland or Slovakia, could have been chosen.

While speaking at the headquarters in capital Kyiv, Zelensky said that from the start, he held the opinion that if Ukraine could not host, it should have been a neighbouring country ‘where our people could travel to easily and be very close.’

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