According to the Eurovision rules, the competition takes place in the country that won the previous year. In 2022, the winner was Ukraine, which was represented by the group “Kalush” with the song “Stefania”.

However, due to the Russian invasion and the ongoing war, the organizers felt that they could not ensure the safety of participants and spectators.

As previously reported, Ukraine was initially against this decision and demanded the continuation of negotiations on holding the competition on its territory. But as a result, security considerations played a decisive role.

British singer Sam Ryder took second place in this year’s contest with the song “Space man”, so it was decided that Eurovision 2023 will be held in the UK, but on behalf of and in support of Ukraine.

For Britain, this will be the ninth such competition, and it will be the first in the world in their total number.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter that he spoke on this subject with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week.

“We both agreed that wherever Eurovision 2023 takes place, it should honor Ukraine and its people. Since we are now the host, the UK will honor this promise and put on a fantastic contest on behalf of our Ukrainian friends,” wrote Boris Johnson. .

There are quite a lot of cities in the UK with suitable concert venues, hotels and international transport links for this competition. Among them are Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham, Aberdeen, London, Brighton, Bristol, Belfast, Cardiff and others.

It is not yet known in which city the competition will take place, but Glasgow and Manchester have already shown interest.

In order to be eligible to host Eurovision, city authorities will have to demonstrate that they have the necessary conditions and pass the qualifying competition, which will begin this week.

Participants from Ukraine will automatically enter the Grand Final, as is usually the case with a representative of the winning country, along with the so-called “Big Five”, which includes the UK.