Jared Leto under fire after saying he wants to give concerts in Russia “as soon as these problems are resolved”
Jared Leto is being heavily criticized after referring to the War in Ukraine as “a few problems”.
During a 30 Seconds to Mars concert in Belgrade, Serbia, last Friday (October 11), the actor and musician greeted the Russian citizens present on stage. He also added that he misses visiting the country – something he promised to do “as soon as these problems are resolved”.
“We will return to Serbia, we will play in St. Petersburg, we will go down to Kyiv. Let’s celebrate with everyone”, he concluded.
The phrase did not go down well with many Ukrainian fans, who accused him of minimizing the conflict between that country and Russia. In X, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that “Leto’s desire to touch Russia is an insult to all who sacrifice their lives to defend freedom.” “There can be no conciliation with Russia as long as it continues to try to resolve the ‘problem’ of Ukraine’s existence”, it can also be read.
On the same platform, there were those who stressed, quoted by “NME”, that “what is happening in Ukraine is a war, and not ‘some problems’”. “If you think what you said is good, if you sympathize with those who support the war, you are not welcome in Kyiv,” he added. Another fan wrote: “It seems that what for Ukrainians is a war is, for Jared Leto, a mere inconvenience.”
Despite these comments, Jared Leto has demonstrated his support for Ukraine several times over the years. When the war broke out, the American said he felt “devastated” by the fact that “there had been such a devastating escalation”. In 2014, when he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “The Dallas Club”, Leto addressed “all the dreamers, in countries like Ukraine and Venezuela”: “We are thinking of you, as you fight to make your dreams come true.”
