Over the weekend, Ukrainians were triggered by remarks made by Oscar-winning Thirty Seconds to Mars lead singer Jared Leto during last week’s concert in Belgrade, when he expressed regret that he could not perform in Russia, on Monday, the 14th of October, reports Politico.
Leto, who won the 2014 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, has previously supported Ukraine in resisting Putin’s aggression.
In several videos of the concert posted by fans over the weekend, Leto asked how many in the audience were from Russia, and after loud cheers said he “felt little Russian energy up there tonight”.
The musician then said that he missed Russia and that he would visit Russia when “all these problems are over”, referring to the war in Ukraine.
“We will go back to Serbia, we will go to St Petersburg, over to Moscow, we will go to Kyiv, we will party and have fun with everybody the way it should be,” Leto said.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that Leto’s “feeling the Russian energy” and his willingness to perform in Russia “is an insult to those who sacrifice their lives to defend freedom”.
“Russia cannot be appeased when it continues to try to solve the “problem” of Ukraine’s existence,” the ministry said.
Jared Leto’s “feeling the Russian energy” and his wish to perform in Russia is an insult to those sacrificing lives to defend freedom.
There can be no appeasement for Russia when it continues its attempts to solve “problem” of Ukraine’s very existence.
📹 @United24media pic.twitter.com/XDUB7bBCjk
— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) October 13, 2024