Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry rebukes singer Jared Leto for minimizing war in Ukraine as “problems”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine issued a statement criticizing American actor and musician Jared Leto for comments he made about Ukraine and Russia during a recent concert in Serbia.

This comes after Leto asked the listeners at his latest concert if there were many Russians among them, because, according to him, he felt “a lot of Russian energy” there. He also expressed hope for future performances in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kyiv once the war in Ukraine ends, referring to the war as “problems.”

“I’ll tell you that one day, when all these problems are over, we’ll visit you in your homeland,” Leto said. 

“Jared Leto’s ‘feeling the Russian energy’ and his wish to perform in Russia is an insult to those sacrificing lives to defend freedom,” the ministry declared in their statement.

The ministry further emphasized that there could be “no appeasement for Russia when it continues its attempts to solve the ‘problem’ of Ukraine’s very existence.” This statement appears to rebuke what they perceive as Leto’s casual approach to the ongoing war.

The singer’s comments have sparked criticism, particularly among Ukrainian social media users. Critics argue that Leto’s use of the term “problems” minimizes the severity of the war. They also point out that many Russians support the aggression against Ukraine, challenging Leto’s apparent eagerness to perform there.

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