Boris Johnson thinks Eurovision 2023 should be held in Ukraine

• Ukrainian ensemble Kalush Orchestra was declared this year’s song competition winner.
• The contest will be held in the nation in 2023.
• Boris Johnson has said Ukraine should be given the chance to host it after it was confirmed talks were underway to potentially bring next year’s contest to the UK.

Boris Johnson has said Ukraine should be given the chance to host Eurovision 2023 after it was confirmed that talks were underway to potentially bring next year’s contest to the UK.

With a score of 631, Ukrainian ensemble Kalush Orchestra was declared the winner of this year’s song competition, which will be held in the nation in 2023.

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However, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) warned yesterday (June 17) that it would be impossible to do so because to the continuous Russian invasion threat.

The EBU also said that it “will now initiate conversations with the BBC, as this year’s runner-up, to potentially host the 2023 Eurovision song contest in the United Kingdom,” according to a statement.

“It is our full intention,” the report said, “that Ukraine’s win will be reflected in next year’s shows.” “In our conversations with the potential hosts, this will be a top concern for us.”

The competition was last conducted in the United Kingdom in 1998, after Katrina and The Waves’ “Love Shine A Light” had won the year before. Sam Ryder, a 2022 entrant, finished second with 466 points overall last month, giving the country its best result since 1998.

The @EBU_HQ has issued the statement below regarding the hosting of next year’s #Eurovision Song Contest.

Find it online here ➡️ https://t.co/mAxSdReBj3 pic.twitter.com/JYqy58eHqV

— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) June 17, 2022

PM Johnson announced today (June 18) that he wants Ukraine to host Eurovision 2023 after returning from his trip to Kyiv.

“The Ukrainians won it fair and square, even though we had a brilliant entry, and they should be given the chance to host it,” Johnson said

“It’s a year away. It’s going to be fine by the time the Eurovision Song Contest comes around and I hope they get it.”

Several towns in the United Kingdom, including Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool, have already indicated interest in hosting Eurovision next year if the competition returns to the country for the ninth time.

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said on Twitter that the capital “would welcome Eurovision with open arms.”

“We’re ready to step up and support Ukraine by hosting a contest that pays tribute to and honours the Ukrainian people, and also celebrates the very best of Britain too,” he added.

In yesterday’s statement, the EPU wrote: “Given the ongoing war since the Russian invasion of this year’s winning country, the EBU has taken the time to conduct a full assessment and feasibility study with both UA:PBC and third-party specialists including on safety and security issues.”

The EPU went on to acknowledge that the coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest was “one of the most complex TV productions in the world with thousands working on, and attending, the event and 12 months of preparation time needed”.

It continued: “Following objective analysis, the Reference Group, the ESC’s governing board, has with deep regret concluded that, given the current circumstances, the security and operational guarantees required for a broadcaster to host, organise and produce the Eurovision Song Contest under the ESC Rules cannot be fulfilled by [Ukraine’s public broadcaster] UA:PBC.”

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Oleksandr Tkachenko, the Ukrainian Culture Minister, has since responded by saying “we will be demanding to change the decision”.

“Hosting Eurovision 2023 in Ukraine is a powerful signal to all the world, which is supporting Ukraine now,” he said.