Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's heartfelt speech during Grammys; John Legend performs with Ukrainian artists

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky made an appearance during the Grammys ceremony on Sunday night, urging those in attendance to “support us in any way you can”, other than “silence”.

Zelenskyy delivered an impassioned speech in a pre-recorded video message, which preceded a performance from singer John Legend.

“The war. What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people. Our children draw swooping rockets, not shooting stars. Over 400 children have been injured and 153 children died. And we’ll never seem them drawing. Our parents are happy to wake up in the morning. In bomb shelters, but alive. Our loved ones don’t know if we will be together again. The war doesn’t let us choose who survives and who stays in eternal silence,” he said. “Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even to those who can’t hear them. But the music will break through anyway.”

Legend’s performance featured a chorus and a backdrop of images from the crisis in Ukraine. Zelenskyy’s appearance at the 2022 Grammys comes after the Oscars, where co-host Amy Schumer said that she had attempted to have the Ukrainian leader appear virtually.