Boris Johnson has come out in favor of Kyiv hosting the Eurovision Song Contest next year, after European broadcasters awarded it to the UK due to safety concerns emanating from Ukraine’s conflict.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced yesterday that it will hunt for a new venue, infuriating Ukrainian officials, who claim that they should still be given the opportunity to host the major event.
After the UK’s Sam Ryder finished second, the EBU approached the BBC to broadcast the event in the UK, but Boris Johnson urged that Ukraine host, believing that peace will have returned to Ukraine by the time the competition returns in May.
‘I don’t think it’s right,’ Mr Johnson told reporters at RAF Brize Norton following a surprise visit to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. ‘I hope the European Broadcasting Union recognise that. This thing is a year away.
‘It’s going to be fine by the time the Eurovision Song Contest comes around, and I hope the Ukrainians get it because they deserve it.
‘The Ukrainians won it fair and square – even though we had a brilliant entry – and I do think they should be given the chance to to host it.’
‘Of course I would love it to be in this country but the fact is they won and they deserve to have it and I believe they can have it and I believe that they should have it.’
Traditionally the winner of the international singing contest – which garnered more than 160 million viewers this year – hosts the next year’s edition, but the EBU wants break with tradition, saying that because of the ongoing war in Ukraine it is not safe for it to take place there.
The decision has outraged he eastern European country, which said it still wants to host the event, something that would normally happen after its entry Kalush Orchestra, won this year’s show in Turin in May.
Ukraine will now have hope – with Downing Street’s support – that the decision might be reversed.
Mr Johnson was speaking after making a flying visit to Kyiv, where he offered President Zelensky a major training operation he believes that could ‘change the equation’ against the Russian invasion.
Mr Zelensky appeared pleased to see the Prime Minister as he greeted him at the presidential palace in Kyiv, contrasting with the frosty reception given to the leaders of France, Germany and Italy on their visit the day before.
‘The UK is with you and we will be with you until you ultimately prevail,’ said Mr Johnson.
The UK is proposing to lead a scheme to train and drill up to 10,000 Ukrainian troops every four months. The soldiers would be expected to spend three weeks on the training course, learning skills for the front line, as well as training on cyber-security and counter-explosives.
Downing Street said an earlier operation – launched after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea – had seen the UK train more than 22,000 Ukrainian service personnel. The PM said: ‘I have offered President Zelensky a major new military training programme that could change the equation of this war.’
He also promised to continue providing military aid and training on new equipment.
Mr Johnson also reiterated how important it was that Britain continue to show it is supporting Ukraine for the long haul, warning of a risk of ‘Ukraine fatigue’ as the war drags on.
‘The Russians are grinding forward inch by inch and it is vital for us to show what we know to be true which is that Ukraine can win and will win,’ Johnson told reporters on his arrival back in Britain from a visit to Kyiv.
Some members of his Conservative Party had criticised him for making the trip instead of attending a conference in northern England.
‘When Ukraine fatigue is setting in, it is very important to show that we are with them for the long haul and we are giving them the strategic resilience that they need,’ Johnson said.
Alexander Rodnyansky, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, told GB News that the British Prime Minister’s surprise visit to Ukraine this week was both ‘symbolic’ and incredibly important.
He also laid out how dependent Ukraine was becoming on British support in its war effort.
‘The Prime Minister’s visit was very important, symbolic and the President and the Ukrainian people appreciated it,’ he told Weekend Breakfast.
‘More significantly, he brought important news with him about the continued support the UK will offer. Support is vital for Ukraine at this stage. In some ways, we are even more dependent now on this than before because Russia has destroyed so many of our military facilities including those where we are able to produce ammunition.’
Mr Rodnyansky said the Ukrainian people remained worried about the future and braced for a long-term conflict.
‘People remained concerned about the future,’ he admitted. ‘They are braced for a lengthy war effort. We know the Russians are not going to give up.
‘We need to resist as long as we can and then wait for the moment when something materially changes inside of Russia. There is nothing else that will change things. The source of all this is, and remains, Putin and the Russian regime.’