Kiev drops out of Eurovision after spat with singer

Ukraine has pulled out of this year's Eurovision song contest "due to excessive politicization" and the selected singer has decided to quit.

The 63-year-old contest is held among the member countries of the European Broadcasting Union. Last year, representatives from 43 countries participated in the event.

Anna Korsun, a Ukrainian female singer known as Maruv, won a public vote on Saturday to represent her country at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Her tours in Russia have become a toxic issue at home as relations between Kiev and Moscow have deteriorated since Russia's annexation of Crimea and the subsequent armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian National Public Broadcasting Company demanded that in order to appear in the Eurovision contest, she sign a contract that would temporarily bar her from performing in Russia along with other stipulations. Maruv said the conditions amounted to "censorship" and she refused to sign.

The broadcaster said on Wednesday it wouldn't choose a replacement "out of respect for the viewers' choice" and wouldn't take part in the May competition in Israel.

According to Alexandra Koltsova, a board member of the company, the broadcaster has decided to withdraw from the song contest, "due to excessive politicization of the national selection".

Maruv said signing the contract with the national broadcaster would have made her a propagandist for the Kiev government.

"I am a Ukrainian citizen, pay taxes and sincerely love my country. But I am not ready to come up with slogans and turn my participation in the contest into a promotional activity for our politicians," she wrote on Facebook.

The broadcaster earlier accused Maruv of failing to understand her role as an ambassador who should represent Ukrainian public opinion.

None of the Ukrainian runners-up will go to the Tel Aviv finals either, Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported.

The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the contest, confirmed "with sadness" Ukraine's decision to miss the 2019 show.