Russia–Ukraine relations in the Eurovision Song Contest

Israel can compete in this year's Eurovision Song Contest, organizers said on Feb. 15, despite calls for it to be excluded over the Gaza war like Russia was after invading Ukraine.

Ukraine on June 17 condemned the European Broadcasting Union's decision to strip it of the right to host next year's Eurovision song contest on security grounds after Russia's invasion.

Ukraine returns to Eurovision after missing the song contest last year, DPA reported.

The country plans to send the band Go_A to Rotterdam in May. Over the weekend, the group won the competition to represent Ukraine with the song "Solovey." five performers.

Behind the kitsch and glitz of the Eurovision Song Contest, to be hosted on May 13 by Kiev, lie a host of geopolitical tensions.

Created by western public broadcasters as a catalyst to European unity in 1956, the songfest has since become an echo chamber for national rivalries.

In the latest example, Moscow and Kiev clashed this year over Russia's contest choice.