“Our musicians wear bulletproof vests instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even those who can’t hear them. But the music will come anyway,” Zelensky added.
“More than 400 children have been injured and 153 have died, and we will never see them draw. Our parents are happy to wake up every morning in bomb shelters but alive.”
“In our land we are fighting against Russia, which brings a horrible silence with its bombs. The silent death. Fill the silence with your music,” said Zelensky, who asked: “Support us in any way you can, but not with silence. And peace will come.”
Wearing an olive green T-shirt, the president, a former actor who traded cameras for politics, spoke for a few minutes before introducing Jon Legend, who sang “Free” on the piano.
Ukrainian citizens “dream of living and being free, free like you on the Grammy stage.”
Zelensky’s involvement comes amid allegations of war crimes committed by Russiaand the global accolade in favor of Ukraine.