In an interview with Bild reporter Paul Ronzheimer, Foreign Minister Kuleba criticised the decision of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences not to allow Zelenskyy to speak at the Oscars.

He called the decision "the best example of hypocrisy".

"If All Quiet on the Western Front wins the Best Foreign Language Film award, and President Zelenskyy, who is at war, leading the country during the war, the largest in Europe since World War II, is not allowed to speak at the Oscars, this will be the best example of hypocrisy in the film industry," Kuleba said. 

All Quiet on the Western Front is based on Erich Maria Remarque's novel about the First World War. 

This is the second time the Academy has refused to allow the President of Ukraine to speak: in 2022, he was not allowed to make an address either.