Sir Rod Stewart was met with a torrent of boos and jeers from a 12,000-strong crowd after an image of the Ukraine flag and Volodymyr Zelensky was beamed onto the stage behind him during a gig in Germany this weekend. The London-born singer, 79, has been outspoken in his support for Ukraine and supported a family of seven refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion by helping them with lodging and bills.
Sir Rod has used his 1991 tune Rhythm Of My Heart, which he has described as a war song, throughout his tours as a dedication to Ukraine. Before performing the track at the Quarterback Immobilien Arena in the east German city of Leipzig on Friday, he displayed the flag of Ukraine along with a picture of the Ukrainian president on a big screen and snapped off a salute.
The star, wearing a sparkly blue jacket over a yellow shirt, then declared ‘F*** Putin !’ before launching into his rendition of the 1991 hit. But the stunt did not land well with the audience as boos, shouts and whistles rang out around the arena. Sir Rod began making the stance in 2022 at a series of shows, telling the PA news agency: ‘When the war started, in this household we were shocked beyond shock. Because I was born just after the war and so my family came through the Second World War, and to see another ground war with tanks, I never thought we’d say the day, it was just shocking and it’s just beyond belief now.’
He organised with his family to hire lorries filled with supplies and had them driven to the border of Ukraine, before using the same vehicles to transport a group of refugees to safety in Berlin. Meanwhile in interviews, the rockstar has been vocal about the importance of supporting Ukraine and has condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin as an ‘a***hole’, making no bones about his stance on the conflict.
But it appears his outspoken nature and on-stage activism angered the German crowd, perhaps a testament to the growing sense of war fatigue that has gripped European citizens as Ukraine’s allies continue to levy sanctions against Moscow and ship billions of military and humanitarian aid to Kyiv. It also comes days after Germany’s right-wing AfD party, which has long criticised the amount of aid being given to Ukraine, made major gains in European elections. Sir Rod appeared perturbed by the unexpected reaction, reportedly mumbling ‘thank you for being so kind,’ before continuing on with the setlist.
Elsewhere the move has proven more popular. The singer performed in Berlin on Saturday night, just one day removed from the concert in Leipzig, and the ‘F*** Putin’ stunt was met with cheers, German press said. Sir Rod is set to return to Germany for shows at Hamburg’s Barclays Arena on Thursday, Cologne’s Lanxess Arena on June 25, and Munich’s Olympiahalle on June 28. A representative for Sir Rod has been asked for comment.
The negative reaction to the singer’s stunt came as representatives from more than 90 countries descended on Lucerne in Switzerland for a summit dedicated to hashing out a ‘road map to peace’ between Russia and Ukraine. Following two days of talks, nearly 80 countries yesterday evening for the ‘territorial integrity’ of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia’s two-year war.
But some key developing nations at the Swiss conference did not approve of the communique, and the event was marred by the absence of Russia, which was not invited. The all-out war since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has killed or injured hundreds of thousands of people, unsettled markets for goods like grain and fertilizer, driven millions from their homes and carved a wedge between the West – which has sanctioned Moscow – and Russia, China and some other countries.
About 100 delegations, mostly Western countries, attended the conference that was billed as a first step toward peace. They included presidents and prime ministers from France, Germany, Britain, Japan, Poland, Argentina, Ecuador, Kenya and Somalia. The Vatican was also represented, and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke for the United States. India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates – represented by foreign ministers or lower-level envoys – were among countries that did not sign the final document, which focused on issues of nuclear safety, food security and the exchange of prisoners.
Brazil, an ‘observer,’ also did not sign on, while China did not attend. The final document signed by 78 countries said the UN Charter and ‘respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty – can and will serve as a basis for achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.’ That has been a non-starter for Putin, who wants Ukraine to cede more territory and back away from its hopes of joining the NATO military alliance in order to reach a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, allies of Ukraine now face the task of trying to keep up momentum toward peace. Testifying to war fatigue and other preoccupations, only about half of UN member countries took part. It wasn’t clear why some developing countries attending didn’t line up behind the final statement, but they may be hesitant to rankle Russia or have cultivated a middle ground between Moscow, its ally China and Western powers backing Kyiv.
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