The president of Ukraine has been a very public figure over the past year with his country being invaded. While Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made appearances during several film festivals and awards shows virtually, he will not be appearing as part of the upcoming Academy Awards.
What Happened: Zelenskyy made a virtual speech at the 80th Golden Globes in January.
In the speech, Zelenskyy told viewers the war with Russia was not over, but the tide was turning. Zelenskyy also shared there were battles ahead and thanked those who have supported the Ukrainian people.
“The second World War wasn’t over yet, but the tide was turned, all knew who would win. There were still battles and tears ahead, it was then when the Golden Globes awards appeared to honor the best performers of 1943,” Zelenskyy said. “There will be no third World War, it is not a trilogy. Ukraine will stop the Russian aggression on our land.”
Zelenskyy was an actor before he became president of Ukraine and has been connected to the movie and television industry. The speech by Zelenskyy drew a strong applause from the in-person crowd at the Golden Globes.
The 95th Academy Awards are set to air on ABC, a unit of Walt Disney Co DIS, on Sunday, March 12 at 8 p.m. ET.
Zelenskyy was rejected from giving a virtual speech at the Academy Awards for the second straight year, according to a report from Variety.
WME agent Mike Simpson asked the Academy Awards to include a speech from Zelenskyy as part of the Academy Awards. The Academy declined comment to Variety.
Related Link: 5 Things You Might Not Know About Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Of Ukraine
Why It’s Important: The move by the Academy Awards comes after Zelenskyy has made virtual appearances at the Golden Globes, Grammy Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and virtually rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
The move to not include Zelenskyy comes after a documentary filmed by Sean Penn called “Superpower” made its debut at the Berlin Film Festival in February.
Penn has called for the U.S. government to provide more aid to Ukraine.
A poll shared by Benzinga recently showed that while many Americans support aid to Ukraine, some want to put a limit on the time on it and have it lowered over time.
The poll showed 50% of respondents supported providing aid to Ukraine until it can win against Russia.
In the poll, 46% said the support should be limited to a certain time period and then stop.
The majority of Democrats supported the aid until the war was over, while Republicans favored the time-based approach.
The results of the poll could be one reason Zelenskyy won’t speak at the Academy Awards, as his speeches have all included some level of discussion on providing funding and help to Ukraine.
While he won’t appear virtually at the Academy Awards, Zelenskyy is currently the owner of an Oscar trophy that was temporarily gifted to him by Penn.
Photo: Shutterstock
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