Ukraine slams Jared Leto over vow to perform in Russia

American actor and singer Jared Leto insulted Ukraine when he said that he hoped to perform in Moscow and Kiev during peacetime, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has said.

The frontman of the rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars gave a shout out to his Russian fans at a concert on Friday in the Serbian capital Belgrade, urging them to raise their hands in the air. Leto pledged to visit his Russian supporters in their homeland, saying that the group would go to St. Petersburg and Moscow, as well as Kiev, once “all these problems are finished.”

“I know we have people from all over the world here tonight. I thought I felt a little of that Russian energy. Did you miss us?” the artist said after he asked how many people in the audience were from Russia and heard a loud roar.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry was unhappy with the comments, saying in a post on X on Sunday that Leto’s “wish to perform in Russia is an insult to those sacrificing lives to defend freedom.” The ministry called for “no appeasement for Russia” as long as Moscow is trying “to solve the ‘problem’ of Ukraine’s very existence.”

The band is currently on tour promoting their latest album ‘It’s the End of the World but It’s a Beautiful Day’. Leto won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2014 for his role in ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ and used to perform in Russia before the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

Leto’s agent Alexandra Trustman refused to comment on the artist’s statement about a potential concert in Russia when reached by TASS, saying that she cannot “facilitate any correspondence” with the singer.

Earlier this year, Ukrainian authorities slammed the US television network HBO, forcing the company to axe Serbian-born actor Milos Bikovic from its award-winning series ‘The White Lotus’ over his alleged relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In August, Kiev called on Ukraine’s Western backers to ban soprano Anna Netrebko from performing anywhere outside Russia. The call came after the Rome Opera announced that the singer would star in their production of ‘Tosca’ on the 125th anniversary of the premiere of Giacomo Puccini’s opera at the Costanzi Theatre.

Last year, Kiev also lashed out at Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, who criticized the West for supplying Ukraine with arms in an address to the United Nations Security Council last year. Waters also angered Kiev by saying that the conflict between the neighboring states was “not unprovoked”.