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Ukraine: Minister of Culture asks EBU to reverse its Eurovision 2023 host country decision!

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Ukraine, through its Minister of Culture and Director General of Public Television Suspilne, is requesting an official statement from the EBU, which Ruslana, along with Kalush Orchestra singer Oleh Psiuk, is reversing its decision on the country. which will host Eurovision 2023.

Ukraine, through its Minister of Culture, is requesting the official statement from the EBU about the decision on the country, which will host Eurovision 2023. In this statement signed by Eurovision winners Ruslana and Oleh Psiuk (frontman of Kalush Orchestra) and Mykola Chernotytskyi, the director of state TV channel Suspilne, the minister called for further talks about hosting Eurovision 2023 in Ukraine.

The minister’s statement:

“In response to the published statement of the European Broadcasting Union on the impossibility of hosting Eurovision – 2023 in Ukraine, we want to emphasize the following.”

“Ukraine does not agree with the nature of such a decision – when we were confronted with the fact without discussion on other options. But we strongly believe that we have every reason to hold further negotiations in order to find a joint solution that will satisfy all parties.”

“We honestly won Eurovision and have fulfilled all the condition within the deadlines for the process of approving its holding in Ukraine — we have provided answers and guarantees on safety standards and possible venues for the competition.”

“Hosting Eurovision 2023 in Ukraine is a strong signal to the whole world that it supports Ukraine now. We will demand to change this decision, because we believe that we will be able to fulfil all the commitments, as we have repeatedly [emphasised to] the European Broadcasting Union.”

“That is why we demand additional negotiations on hosting Eurovision 2023 in Ukraine.”

Apart from signing the minister’s statement, CEO of Suspilne Mykola Chernotytskyi released another one himself.

“We are disappointed with this decision of the EBU. During this month, a large number of people in Ukraine have thrown all their efforts to fulfil the conditions for holding Eurovision in our country. Security is, of course, our first priority. The team of UA: PBC, state and local authorities did a thorough job and offered different options. It is a pity to see such an unappealable statement, ​​therefore, we ask our partners to hold further negotiations.”

According to Chernotytskyi, Ukraine had proposed three different possibilities: hosting in Kyiv, Lviv or Zakarpattia. These last two are close to the borders with Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, and have not been under continuous attacks during the war.

Eurovision’s organising body the European Broadcasting Union has confirmed that Ukraine will not host the 2023 contest. In a statement released on Friday 17 June, the EBU said that discussions will now begin with the United Kingdom.

Stay tuned in Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

UK: Steps divided over participating in Eurovision Song Contest!

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Steps are divided over the idea of taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest.

While Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Lisa Scott-Lee and Claire Richards would happily represent the UK at the annual music extravaganza, their bandmates Faye Tozer and Lee Latchford-Evans are much more reluctant because they think it could damage their “amazing legacy”.

Faye told the Daily Star Sunday columnist Ed Gleave: “We are a split camp within the band.

“H would do it tomorrow. Lisa and Claire would probably want to do it as well. But I am not so much in favour of it.”

Lee added: “It’s a very mixed camp and I agree with Faye.

“We’d like to do it for the experience if all the other bits weren’t there – the nil points, the politics.”

Faye continued: “We’ve got such an amazing legacy behind us, I don’t think it would do us any favours. It’s the whole ‘nil points’ thing.”

The ‘One For Sorrow’ hitmakers were approached about the possibility earlier in their careers but the “specific rules” surrounding taking part ruled them out.

Faye explained: “We were approached in the early days. But there are specific rules – I don’t think you can release music for a certain period of time or chart.

“Luckily for me, we never fitted into that category and couldn’t do it.”

Claire previously admitted the group “could” do Eurovision and it would be an “amazing” experience, but she’d also be worried about coming last.

She said: “I am always the one who goes, ‘No, absolutely not!’, but then I watch it and think well, we could do it.

“There is always a few texts going back and forwards.

“I honestly think that if you do that show you can’t ever go into it expecting to win and we would have to have that attitude.

“We’ve always been so lucky in everything we’ve ever done and I think the experience would be amazing.

“It’s just that feeling of, we wouldn’t want to come last because that would be really bad.

“Nobody wants to come last, do they?”

Would you like to see Steps representing the UK at Eurovision 2023?