Kremlin on Kanye: No plans for Putin meeting

Kanye West, formerly known as Ye, is set to embark on a trip to Russia later this fall, but Kremlin officials have made it clear that they have no intention of arranging a meeting between the American entertainer and President Vladimir Putin. When asked about the possibility of a Putin-West meeting during the rapper's upcoming tour, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov firmly rejected the idea, stating that it is not their responsibility and not related to the presidential administration.

West is scheduled to perform at two concerts in St. Petersburg's Gazprom Arena on October 10th and 11th, marking him as one of the most prominent Western music artists to grace Russia's stage since the country's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Tickets for the concerts, ranging from 9,000 to 160,000 rubles (€92 to €1,642), sold out quickly.

However, West's Russian tour has faced significant obstacles. In April, the UK denied his entry, leading to the cancellation of his performance at the Wireless Festival in London. In July, a Slovak festival featuring West was also called off. Shows in France, Poland, Italy, and the Czech Republic were similarly canceled. The backlash stems from years of antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks made by West, including his praise of Adolf Hitler, the release of a song titled "Heil Hitler," and the sale of swastika-branded merchandise.

While not everyone in Russia supports West, some have suggested he perform traditional Russian songs during his visit, implying that he might then abandon his controversial actions and become a "normal person." The Kremlin, on the other hand, has consistently maintained that eradicating alleged Nazism in Kyiv is a key objective in its war on Ukraine.