Volodimir Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, made a surprise appearance at the Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday night, April 3, to urge the millions of spectators watching to assist his country in whatever way they can amid the Russian invasion.
Speaking through videolink, the president, who has received international accolades for his leadership during the war, welcomed John Legend, who sang a song for the war-torn country alongside Ukrainian artists Siuzanna Iglidan and Mika Newton.
In a pre-recorded message, Volodymyr Zelensky urged the assembled musicians to use their voices to demand an end to the conflict, saying, “Anything but quiet.”
He said he’had a fantasy’ that people in Ukraine’s cities could be as free as those on the Grammys stage, and compared the invasion to a terrible quiet that threatens to extinguish the Ukrainian people’s dreams and lives, particularly children’s.
‘Instead of tuxedos, our musicians wear body gear. They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even those who are unable to hear,’ he explained.
‘But the music will break through anyway.’ ‘Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today to tell our story. Tell the truth about the war on your social networks, on TV, support us in any way you can any, but not silence. ‘And then peace will come to all our cities,’ Zelensky said while wearing a khaki t-shirt.
Watch the video below