You're reading: Deutsche Welle: Ukraine expected to host the coming Eurovision Song Contest, with no Plan B

“Contrary to media reports, we can confirm there are no plans to move the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest to Moscow,” the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced on Dec. 8.

The statement is likely to reduce speculation that financially-strapped Ukraine might not be able to host the event. Rumors to that effect began after Surab Alassania, director general of the Ukranian National Television Society (NTU), resigned in early November, noting that with one-third of his yearly budget earmarked for the multinational spectacle in Kyiv, not enough remained to insure regular broadcast services for the remainder of the year. Despite reassurances from the city and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the event, the finances – and the site – seemed less than iron-clad.

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