Sir Rod Stewart has defended his support for Ukraine, after he was booed at a concert in Germany on Friday night.
The music legend was performing in Leipzig when the Ukrainian flag appeared on the video screen, followed by an image of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Fans could hear both applause and jeers as Sir Rod sang his 1991 hit Rhythm of My Heart, which he said was an anti-war song and had previously been dedicated to Kyiv.
“I have supported the Ukrainian people throughout this war,” he told the PA news agency on Monday.
“From arranging for members of my family to bring supplies back home, to renting a house in the UK to a Ukrainian family… So yes, I support Zelensky and the people of Ukraine, and I will continue continue to do so. “
Sir Rod, 79, has also made obscene comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin at other concerts.
“Putin must be stopped,” he told PA.
“I am having the time of my life performing for German audiences, sharing some special memories and I look forward to performing the rest of my days here.”
Sir Rod is performing at the Quarterback Immobilien Arena in Leipzig, the most populous city in the state of Saxony, central Germany.
The state has embraced nationalism, elected a mayor from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in December. There has also been neo-Nazi violence and attacks on migrants in Saxony.
In 2022, Sir Rod revealed that he and his wife Penny Lancaster had rented a house in Berkshire, southeast England, to a Ukrainian family of seven who had fled a full-scale Russian invasion.
That same year, Sir Rod also paid for four trucks full of goods to arrive at the Polish-Ukrainian border. His two nephews were among the drivers and with the help of a UK-based humanitarian organization, they brought 16 Ukrainian refugees to safety in Berlin.
“They drove through France, Belgium, Germany and into Poland, dropped off supplies and picked up refugees and dropped them off in Berlin,” Sir Rod told the Daily Record at the time.
“It took them three and a half days to get there and back. They are the heroes, not me.”
Sir Rod is nearing the end of his European tour but still has a few shows left in Germany in Hamburg, Cologne and Munich.
Next month, he will travel to the US to end his 13-year residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
