(CNN) — President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky gave a moving moment at the 64th annual award of the Grammy awards on Sunday.
Zelensky gave a speech that began like this: “War. What is more opposite than music.”
“The silence of the ruined cities and the dead people. Our children drew rockets in a tailspin, not shooting stars,” he said. “More than 400 children were injured and 153 children died. And we will never see them draw.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks from a screen at the Grammy Awards.
Zelensky has been outspoken about rallying international support for his country since it was invaded by Russian military forces in February.
This is how he related it to the delivery of the Grammys, the biggest night in the music industry: “War does not allow us to choose who survives and who remains eternally silent.”
“Our musicians wear bulletproof vests instead of tuxedos,” he said. “They sing to the wounded. In hospitals.”
He added that “music will break through anyway” and said that his country defends its freedom “to live. To love. To sound.”
Zelensky asked those listening to tell “the truth about the war. On your social media. On TV. Support us in any way you can. Anything. But not in silence.”
“And then peace will come. All our cities are being destroyed by war,” he said. “Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Volnovakha, Mariupol and others. They are already legends. But I have a dream that they live. And free. Free like you on the Grammy stage.”
Zelensky’s speech was followed by a performance of “Free” by singer John Legend, who was joined by Ukrainian artists Mika Newton, Lyuba Yakimchuk and Siuzanna Igidan.