Watch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Grammy Awards Speech

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an emotional pre-recorded message about Russia’s conflict on his nation at Sunday’s Grammy Awards. Within the speech, he inspired listeners to inform Ukraine’s tale, thru track, on tv and on social networks and when put next the conflict tasks of Ukrainian musicians to the very other state of affairs of the musicians attending the Grammys.

“The conflict,” a raspy-voiced Zelenskyy mentioned within the message, which used to be simply over one minute lengthy. “What’s extra reverse to track? The silence of ruined towns and killed other folks. Our youngsters draw swooping rockets, now not taking pictures stars. Over 400 youngsters were injured and 153 youngsters died, and we’re going to by no means see them drawing.

“Our oldsters are glad to get up within the morning in bomb shelters. However alive. Our family members have no idea if we will be able to be in combination once more. The conflict does not allow us to select who survives and who remains in everlasting silence. Our musicians put on frame armor as an alternative of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even to people who cannot listen them. However the track will spoil thru anyway.

“We protect our freedom. To reside. To like. To sound.

“On our land, we’re preventing Russia which brings terrible silence with its bombs. The lifeless silence. Fill the silence together with your track. Fill it lately to inform our tale. Inform the reality about this conflict in your social networks, on TV. Reinforce us whatsoever you’ll. Any — however now not silence. After which, peace will come.

“To all our towns the conflict is destroying. Chernihiv. Kharkiv. Volnovakha. Mariupol and others. They’re legends already, however I’ve a dream of them residing and loose. Unfastened such as you at the Grammy level.

In step with Selection, the message used to be shot throughout the closing 48 hours, and used to be filmed in a bunker in Kyiv.

After Zelenskyy spoke, John Legend carried out the music “Unfastened,” with Ukrainian musicians Siuzanna Iglidan and Mika Newton, and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, whilst pictures of the conflict in Ukraine have been proven on huge monitors.

The Recording Academy, which places at the Grammys, later tweeted that the crowd had “joined forces with (global schooling and advocacy group International Citizen) to #StandUpForUkraine,” and inspired fans to donate.

There used to be communicate of Zelenskyy talking on the March 27 Academy Awards, and actor Sean Penn mentioned he would wreck his two Oscar statuettes if the Ukrainian president didn’t seem. He didn’t, and Penn’s consultant later instructed CNET that Penn didn’t watch the Oscars, however didn’t remark at the statuette destruciton.