UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday that Ukraine should host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest — despite its ongoing war with Russia.
After returning from a surprise trip to Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, Johnson said he felt the music contest should take place in Ukraine in 2023 because the people there “deserve to have it,” according to Bloomberg News.
The UK was runner-up for being selected as the host, and the BBC is in talks with the European Broadcasting Union about hosting the event after the body ruled it could not go ahead in the war-torn Ukraine.
But Johnson wasn’t buying it, and insisted Ukraine was safe enough to host the contest, adding that people were “out in the streets” of Kyiv “eating in cafes and restaurants.”
“The Ukrainians won the Eurovision Song Contest,” Johnson said. “I know we had a fantastic entry, I know we came second, and I’d love it to be in this country.”
“But the fact is that they won and they deserve to have it. I believe that they can have it, and I believe that they should have it. I believe the Kyiv or any other safe Ukrainian city would be a fantastic place to have it.”