Roger Waters, 79, raised eyebrows when he made a series of claims regarding the war in Ukraine, which he previously claimed was partly to blame for Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
Now, the Pink Floyd star has insisted that the idea Russia’s advance was unprovoked is ‘f***ing insane’, adding that ‘Nazis are in control’ of Ukraine’s government, Waters told The Telegraph.
The rockstar was invited to address the 15-member council by Moscow and appeared Wednesday through a video link.
Waters referenced an earlier article he had written on the conflict, having made a U-turn on some of his criticisms of Putin.
He said: ‘I wrote about three months ago calling Vladimir Putin a gangster… That may have been unfair.
‘It may be that he’s leading his country to the benefit of all of the people of Russia.
‘Roger also claimed Ukraine was “deeply divided” and that it “is not really a country at all”, adding that it is more of a “patchy vague experiment.”
His incendiary speech prompted outrage from a Ukrainian official, who branded the 79-year-old ‘hypocritical’ – and accused him of seeking to ‘whitewash’ the Russian President’s invasion.
At the security council summit, ambassadors from nations across the world came together to address the situation in Ukraine.
Roger addressed the room through a video call and said he was representing ‘the feelings of countless brothers and sisters all over the world’.
Reflecting on the war, he said: ‘The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation was illegal. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.
‘Also, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was not unprovoked. So I also condemn the provocateurs in the strongest possible terms.’
He continued: ‘So what do the voiceless millions have to say? They say thank you for hearing us today. We are many who do not share in the profits of the war industry.
‘We do not willingly raise our sons and daughters to provide fodder for your cannons.
‘In our opinion, the only sensible course of action today is to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, no ifs, no buts, no and.
‘Not one more Ukrainian or Russian life is to be spent, not one, they are all precious in our eyes. So the time has come to speak truth to power.’
Meanwhile, Ukrainian UN ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya later addressed the meeting and reminded the room that Pink Floyd were banned in the Soviet Union after they condemned the country for invading Afghanistan in 1979.
He added: ‘It is ironic, if not hypocritical that Mr Waters attempts now to whitewash another invasion. How sad for his former fans to see him accepting the role of just ‘a brick in the wall’, the wall of Russian disinformation and propaganda.’
