Volodymyr Zelensky has declared he wanted Eurovision to be hosted in a neighbouring country so Ukrainians would find it easier to attend the ceremony.

The Ukrainian president said that while he holds "great respect" for the UK, nations such as Slovakia or Poland would have been his preference in staging the contest.

Mr Zelensky previously vowed the competition would be staged in Mariupol before a decision was made to relinquish Ukraine's hosting rights on security grounds.

"I have great respect for the United Kingdom and its society. It is an amazing country," Mr Zelensky told the BBC.

"From the very start my opinion has been that if we can't host Eurovision it should take place in one of the countries that share a border with us such as Slovakia, Poland or another country our people can reach easily."