Ukraine responds to Jared Leto's controversial remarks on war as he announces concert in Russia

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared a statement.

“Jared Leto's 'sense of Russian energy' and his desire to perform in Russia is an insult to those who sacrifice their lives defending freedom,” the ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry emphasized the unacceptability of any actions that contribute to the normalization of relations with Russia while its aggression against Ukraine continues.

“There can be no reconciliation with Russia when it continues its attempts to solve the 'problem' of Ukraine's very existence,” the statement said.

During his performance in Serbia, Leto, addressing the audience, including Russian citizens, noted that he felt “a lot of Russian energy” in the hall and promised to return with concerts to Moscow and St. Petersburg after the “problems” related to the war in Ukraine are over, UNITED24 Media reports.

“When all these problems are over, we will come to your homeland,” the singer promised, addressing the Russians.

 He also noted that he plans to visit Kyiv.

The use of the term “problems” to describe Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine caused outrage among Ukrainian commentators, who accused the musician of minimizing the war's scale.

It is worth noting that Jared Leto has previously expressed support for Ukraine, in particular, by performing a concert in Kyiv and honoring the victims of the Revolution of Dignity.

In Serbia, the audience reaction was divided: some Russian fans expressed their approval with applause, while the Ukrainian public and part of the international audience sharply criticized Leto's statement.

The singer concluded his performance with words of gratitude in Russian.

• Jared Leto has previously supported Ukraine. He repeatedly performed in Kyiv with concerts, after one of which he honored the memory of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes.