Zelenskyy asked for the Eurovision Song Contest to be held not in the UK, but he was denied: what was the president's goal?

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has admitted that he was not enthusiastic about the idea of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in the UK. The head of the independent state contacted the people who were choosing the location to convince them to hold the contest in a country that borders Ukraine, but they failed to reach an agreement.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy wanted Ukrainians to be able to go to the show, because this year's Eurovision Song Contest will be held on behalf of Ukraine. He spoke about this in a new interview with the BBC (scroll to the bottom of the page to see the photo).

The President of Ukraine began by saying that he was primarily concerned and saddened by the genocide of Ukrainians, so winning the war was a priority for the guarantor. However, he also took care of the Eurovision Song Contest.

"I have a lot of respect for Britain: its citizens and its beautiful country. From the very beginning, my opinion was that if we could not host the Eurovision Song Contest, it should take place in one of the countries that has common borders with us, such as Slovakia or Poland, or some other country where our people could go, where it would be very close," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

He explained that, for example, millions of Ukrainians have taken refuge in Poland and would love to watch the show live.

"I would like to leave a feeling that life goes on. Because we are fighting for the most important thing: for people and for life. I've been in touch with people who make decisions about Eurovision. They have a different view on it. But the main thing is that the contest is going ahead," the President added.

The second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place today, with 16 countries performing. Ukrainians will be able to vote.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, photos from the rehearsal of the second semi-final appeared online, showing the images of the show's hosts. Their outfits are a combination of the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

Only verified information is available in our Obozrevatel Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!