The Eurovision 2022 winner Ukraine will not host the competition next year, according to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which announced Friday (June 17th) that it is looking into the possibility of Great Britain. Bretagne, which is second in the standings replaces her.
The EBU stated in a statement that Ukraine cannot meet the security and operational requirements necessary to host, organise and produce Eurovision […] under current circumstances.
According to the statement, the body will “engage in discussions with the BBC, which was second in its competition, to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023” in the UK. The competition should be organized by the country or artist that won the Eurovision Song Contest the previous year.
The song “Stefania”, by Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra mixes hip-hop with traditional music, won the contest in Italy on May 15. This was thanks to the votes of viewers who voted the group that represented the country invaded by Russian troops at the end February.
However, the EBU stressed that it had “the firm intent that Ukraine’s victory would be reflected at the shows next year”. According to his spokesperson, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appreciated the move.
The spokesperson stated that the UK would “of course, be happy” to collaborate with Ukraine and to welcome him to the UK. He said that the UK would “commit” to ensure that the competition “broadly represents Ukraine’s rich culture and heritage, creativity.”
