Boris Johnson has said that Ukraine deserves to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest and hopes to do so despite the ongoing war with Russia.
The BBC is in talks with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) about hosting the event in the UK, which came in second in the 2022 competition, after the body ruled that it could not go ahead in Ukraine. as planned.
Speaking to RAF reporter Brize Norton after returning from an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Johnson said he believed it should be possible for the contest to continue there.
“The Ukrainians won the Eurovision Song Contest. I know we had a great entry, I know we were second and I would love to be in this country,” he said.
“It simply came to our notice then. I think they can have it and I think they should have it. I think Kyiv or any other safe city in Ukraine would be a great place to have it. ”
Johnson’s comments come after Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said the decision to move Eurovision undermined his country after it was invaded by Russia. “Is it fair to take him to the country that fights for democracy in the name of the civilized world?” he asked.
Ukraine has insisted it can safely host the song contest on its own territory and says it will oppose plans to move it to the UK.
Ukraine won this year’s contest with Stefania of the Kalush Orchestra, as spectators from all over the continent gathered to vote for the song and show solidarity with the country. The EBU, however, has said that the ongoing war means that Ukraine will not be able to organize the competition safely and has asked the BBC to host it in the UK.
Tkachenko said that the Ukrainian government and security services had submitted detailed plans to the EBU and that the Ukrainian people were harmed by the decision to relocate the event. “Eurovision is not just a few hours of television, it is also a symbolic global event,” he said.
On Friday, organizers had warned him in just 20 minutes that he had decided to reject Ukraine’s proposals, he said.
Tkachenko held emergency talks with British Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries in an effort to find a solution, with the UK government still publicly expressing hope that Ukraine could host the contest.
“We understand that we need to talk again,” he said of his call to his UK counterpart.
UK government sources suggested that if the BBC ended up organizing the contest, it would have a strong Ukrainian theme and focus on the symbolic ties between the two countries. The BBC did everything possible to avoid sounding optimistic in its statement, acknowledging the offer to enter into talks.
Several British cities have already expressed interest in hosting next year’s competition, including Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester.
Tkachenko said cities should show solidarity with Ukraine by pushing for the competition to be held in their country. He said: “We love Britain for the full support of the Ukrainian resistance, but until we discuss it again with the EBU, it is not the right time to start the discussion between UK cities.”
I would not go into details of Ukraine’s proposals, but they may include changes to the current Eurovision format in which thousands of people attend the event live.
“A few days ago we spoke to them to present our vision of how we could host Eurovision in Ukraine, despite all the difficulties, but we did not receive any questions, neither about security nor anything else,” Tkachenko said.
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The EBU was more interested in its own accommodation requirements and should “think about how to change the Eurovision rules for the country fighting for independence and democracy,” he said.
“We have every right to host Eurovision, according to the rules of Eurovision. Not even talking about the possibilities is a concrete message that the EBU is more interested in its own rules than helping to defend democracy and find a solution in the interests of both parties “.
He also said that there were other plans that the organizers of Eurovision had not taken into account, which could imply that some element of the contest was organized in Ukraine. “It simply came to our notice then. There were different options, also with the participation of other countries “, he said.
“I think there is a solution … Ukraine simply cannot get out of the accommodation, but can fully participate in it, one way or another.”