Pink Floyd star Roger Waters addresses UN at Russia’s request – after denying ‘incendiary’ claims in row with ex-bandmate
Pink Floyd star Roger Waters has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for a ceasefire – but also said he believes the war was provoked – during an address to the UN Security Council at Moscow’s invitation.
The veteran musician was denounced by Ukraine‘s UN ambassador as “another brick in the wall” of Russian “disinformation and propaganda”, in reference to his former band’s most famous song, following his speech.
It comes amid an ongoing row between the Pink Floyd co-founder and the band’s guitarist and singer David Gilmour, over issues including comments he has made on Israel and the Ukraine war.
Roger Waters addressed the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine at the UN headquarters in New York
Russia called the meeting on Wednesday to discuss the delivery of weapons to Ukraine and asked Waters, who argued against the Western supply of arms to Kyiv in a letter published on his website in September, to brief.
The rocker, 79, also recently gave an interview to a German newspaper, which was translated into English on his own website, in which he said about Vladimir Putin: “According to independent voices I listen to he governs carefully, making decisions on the grounds of a consensus in the Russian Federation government.”
He added: “I wonder: is Putin a bigger gangster than Joe Biden and all those in charge of American politics since World War II? I am not so sure. Putin didn’t invade Vietnam or Iraq? Did he?”
When asked about his former bandmates recording with Ukrainian musician Andriy Khlyvnuk, he said he felt “really, really sad” as it “encourages the continuation of the war”.
Appearing virtually to address the security council at the UN headquarters in New York, Waters condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as illegal, but also said it “was not unprovoked”, according to the Reuters news agency. He condemned “the provocateurs in the strongest possible terms”, but did not give specifics.
“The only sensible course of action today is to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine,” Waters said.
Credentials to speak on security issues questioned
Richard Mills, the deputy US ambassador to the United Nations, acknowledged Waters’ “impressive credentials as a recording artist”, but said his qualifications to speak on arms control or European security issues were “less evident”.
Ukraine’s UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told the council: “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.”
(L-R): Pink Floyd stars David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and the late Richard Wright reunited for the Live 8 Concert in London in 2005. Pic: Hubert Boesl/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
Waters was one of the co-founders of Pink Floyd with Nick Mason, Richard Wright and Syd Barrett, but left in 1985 – leading to legal battles over the use of the band’s name.
The influential prog rock group reunited for Live 8 in 2005 but Waters has not performed with them since.
What has Waters said?
His comments on Russia and the war, as well as comments on Israel, have sparked criticism.
Sharing the article with Berliner Zeitung on Sunday, the star said it had been published “against the backdrop of the outrageous and despicable smear campaign by the ISRAELI LOBBY to denounce me as an ANTI-SEMITE, WHICH I AM NOT, NEVER HAVE BEEN and NEVER WILL BE.
“Against [the] backdrop of them trying to silence me because I lend my voice to the seventy five year old fight for equal human rights for all my brothers and sisters in Palestine/Israel, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion or nationality.”
On Monday, Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson – a lyricist who helped write several Pink Floyd songs for their 1994 album The Division Bell – criticised him on Twitter, accusing him of being “antisemitic” and a “Putin apologist”, among other claims.
Gilmour, who has a Ukrainian daughter-in-law and grandchildren, retweeted and liked her post, adding: “Every word demonstrably true.”
A statement in response was later shared by Waters’ official Twitter account, saying: “Roger Waters is aware of the incendiary and wildly inaccurate comments made about him on Twitter by Polly Samson which he refutes entirely. He is currently taking advice as to his position.”
Read more:
Pink Floyd release song for Ukraine – first new music in almost 30 years
‘Leave them kids alone’: Why Waters and the Ukrainian first lady have fallen out
‘He thinks he owns Pink Floyd’: Waters re-ignites feud with Gilmour after ‘website ban’
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph published on Wednesday, Waters revealed he has re-recorded a new version of The Dark Side Of The Moon, the band’s seminal 1973 album, without any involvement from his former bandmates.
Speaking to the Telegraph about his forthcoming vinyl release of the album, Waters said he had “no idea” how to get around copyright issues, and that he remade it “because not enough people recognised what it’s about”.
He also spoke about his views on the Ukraine war, reportedly saying it would be “f****** insane” to believe that Russia’s invasion was unprovoked.
He also said: “The Ukraine… is a deeply divided country. In fact, it’s not really a country at all, it’s only been there since Khrushchev, 1956. So it’s a patchy sort of vague experiment.”
Sky News has contacted representatives for Waters and Gilmour for comment.
They’re getting through 70kg of rice a day and the wholesaler has run out of noodles. Yes, Sumo returns to London on Wednesday.
It’s just the second time a Grand Tournament has been held outside of Japan – and this is a sport that has records going back more than 1,500 years.
It’s 34 years since the Royal Albert Hall hosted the only previous such event on foreign soil – and the appetite for tickets meant all five days sold out immediately.
Much of the focus is on the two grand champions or yokozuna, the 74th and 75th men to attain the rank.
They’re the Mongolian Hoshoryu Tomokatsu, plus Japan’s Onosato Daiki – who this year became the quickest wrestler to achieve the rank in the modern era.
“I’m happy that Sumo is back after so many years,” Onosato said. “I hope I can show the UK fans how fantastic Sumo is.”
“Being a yokozuna has a lot of responsibility,” Hoshoryu told Sky Sports. “We have to show everyone an example of what a yokozuna is – and that’s very difficult.
“My uncle was a yokozuna – and I’m happy to follow in his footsteps. But I came here to London as a yokozuna which he didn’t, so I’m even happier.”
The two are already great rivals.
Onosato Daiki became the quickest ever to achieve yokozuna rank. Pic: AP
At the recent Aki Basho – the most prestigious tournament on the sumo calendar – the pair finished with identical records after 15 days of bouts.
It all came down to a final play-off between the two yokozuna – the first time that had happened in 16 years. It was Onosato who came out on top on that occasion.
Hoshoryu says he is a big fan of basketball and football. He follows Chelsea, although his favourite players are going back a bit: “Didier Drogba and Petr Cech. He’s the ‘keeper. I like this guy!”
Early starts and a hearty stew: The life of a rikishi
The wrestlers – or rikishi – have a rigorous training regime.
They live in communal blocks called stables and practice starts early. Perhaps surprisingly, everyone skips breakfast. After training and practice – and for the younger rikishi, chores – the wrestlers all eat together.
The staple of their diet is chankonabe, a hearty stew packed with meat and vegetables. The feeding of the 40 rikishi who have come over for the five-day tournament is a challenge in itself.
Donagh Collins, the CEO of co-organisers Askonas Holt, said: “We are going through 70 kilos of rice a day. Somebody told me that the wholesaler for the noodles has run out of noodles. We’re really pushing the system here.”
The ring – or dohyo – is just 4.55m in diameter and quite small when two giant wrestlers leap at each other.
The aim of the fights is to either get your opponent onto the floor – or, more spectacularly, shove or hurl them out of the dohyo, so spectators in the ringside seats may be getting extremely up-close to the wrestlers.
The last time the tournament was in Britain, the massive Konishiki, known as the Dump Truck, took centre stage.
The giant Hawaiian was the heaviest-ever rikishi coming in at 287kg – or 45 stone. That’s a lot of wrestler to dodge if he comes falling out of the ring towards you.
Read more from Sky News:
Wildlife award revealed – see stunning snaps
Premier League players to take the knee again
The Royal Albert Hall may be firstly a concert venue, but it has hosted the likes of John McEnroe, Lennox Lewis and even Muhammad Ali.
And for the next five days, the cream of the world of sumo will be thrilling the crowds – provided a new noodle supplier is found.
What is a yokozuna?
Yokozuna is the highest rank in sumo, with its name meaning “horizontal rope” and refers to the rope worn around a competitor’s waist as they enter the ring.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024