Rod Stewart defends support for Ukraine after jeers

Sir Rod Stewart has defended his support of Ukraine, after he was apparently booed at a concert in Germany on Friday night.

The music legend was performing in Leipzig when the Ukrainian flag appeared on a video screen, followed by an image of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Both applause and jeers could be heard from fans, as Sir Rod sang his 1991 hit Rhythm of My Heart, which he says is an anti-war song, and has previously dedicated to Kyiv.

"I have supported the Ukrainian people throughout this war," he told PA news agency on Monday.

"From arranging for members of my family to take supplies to the country, to renting a house in the UK for a Ukrainian family... So yes, I do support Zelensky and the people of Ukraine, and I will continue to do so."

Sir Rod, 79, has also made expletive laden comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin during other concerts.

"Putin must be stopped," he told PA.

"I'm having the time of my life playing for German audiences, sharing some special memories, and I'm looking forward to playing my remaining dates here."

Sir Rod was performing at the Quarterback Immobilien Arena in Leipzig, the most populous city in Germany's central state of Saxony.

The state has embraced nationalism, electing a mayor from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) 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 home in Berkshire, in south-east England, for a Ukrainian family of seven who had fled Russia's full-scale invasion.

The same year, Sir Rod also paid for four lorries, full of supplies, to be driven to the Poland-Ukraine border. His two nephews were among the drivers, and with the help of a UK-based humanitarian organisation, they then drove 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 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 coming to the end of his European tour, but still has several German shows to go, in Hamburg, Cologne and Munich.

Next month, he will travel to the US to wrap up a 13-year residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.