Ukraine says Russia's only solution is to replace its Eurovision participant
The Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for Humanitarian Affairs, Vyacheslav Kyrylenko, offered Russia the option to choose another participant for Eurovision-2017 that has not violated Ukrainian legislation, as stated on Ukrainian Radio, reports Ukrainska Pravda.
Kyrylenko stressed that from the very beginning Ukraine warned that no artist who had violated Ukrainian legislation would be able to participate in the song contest.
"Of course, we are ready to accept all 43 Eurovision participating countries, including the representative of the Russian Federation. Russia itself can find a way out of this situation by offering a participant who has not violated Ukrainian legislation. Then this problem will be solved very quickly," he said.
However, according to him, Ukraine does not have much hope that Russia will take this approach as it sees "a provocation from Russia over Eurovision as just a small link in a large chain of provocations and actions aimed at forcing the situation in Ukraine."
Among such provocations, he referred to sabotage that led to explosions of ammunition in Balakliia in the Kharkov region as well as the murder of a former deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Denis Voronenkov, in the center of Kyiv.
"We define their choice of participant in Eurovision 2017 in the same way," said Kyrylenko.
"If Russia doesn't replace the participant and doesn't come — well, we will hold a high-level Eurovision contest for 42 free and democratic countries," the Vice Prime Minister added.
The message indicated that the Security Service of Ukraine previously banned the entry of the Russian participant into Ukraine due to her earlier trips to the annexed Crimea. Later, the European Broadcasting Union said that they were deeply disappointed by the decision of the Ukrainian authorities. On March 23rd, the European Broadcasting Union proposed that First Channel organize a live broadcast of Yuliya Samoylova’s performance, so that she could still take part in the Eurovision 2017 Song Contest. However, First Channel refused the offer.