Rod Stewart's Defiant Message After Being Booed Onstage

British crooner Rod Stewart has stood by his decision to show support for Ukraine during his live concerts amid the country's ongoing war with Russia.

Stewart, 79, was booed loudly during his show in Leipzig, Germany, after displaying images of a Ukrainian flag and Volodymyr Zelensky, the country's president.

The images appeared as he performed his hit "Rhythm of My Heart," which he has said previously is an anti-war song—one that he dedicates to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.

Following the mixed reception in Leipzig, Stewart was defiant about his support for Ukraine, which has been fighting against Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion since February 2022.

"I have supported the Ukrainian people throughout this war," he told the PA news agency while discussing the booing incident in Leipzig, the BBC reported.

"From arranging for members of my family to take supplies to the country, to renting a house in the UK for a Ukrainian family," he said, adding, "So yes, I do support Zelensky and the people of Ukraine, and I will continue to do so."

He continued: "Putin must be stopped."

"I'm having the time of my life playing for German audiences, sharing some special memories, and I'm looking forward to playing my remaining dates here," Stewart said.

On Instagram, the rocker wrote: "Tour is going absolutely fantastic! Germany, get ready! Can't wait to see all your beautiful faces."

Media in Germany suggested that the sentiment around the country's ongoing support for Ukraine in its war with Russia differed depending on the region.

B.Z., a Berlin newspaper, wrote, "Leipzig booed, Berlin cheered."

A recent survey found that 47 percent of people in the former Soviet region of East Germany believed their country's "support for Ukraine goes too far," compared to 33 percent of West Germans who shared that view.

The ARD-DeutschlandTREND report also found that 52 percent of East Germans thought Germany's financial support to Ukraine goes too far, while 38 percent of West Germans believed that to be true.

Germany ranks third in its financial support of Ukraine after the European Union and the U.S. Regarding the value of weapons supplied to Ukraine and financial aid for military purposes alone, Germany comes second behind the U.S., Statista reported.

In December, Saxony, the German state where Leipzig is located, elected a mayor from the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

The AfD party is not only far right but also pro-Putin, and it has been plagued by Russia-linked scandals, including allegations that top party officials have been involved in Moscow's espionage operations.

Some of the party's most prominent members have long been publicly sympathetic to Moscow's worldview, and earlier this year, the AfD sent a group of lawmakers to Russia to serve as election observers for Putin's latest electoral victory.

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