U2’s Bono and The Edge have shown their support for the people of Ukraine with a surprise acoustic concert inside a subway station in Kyiv, which is currently serving as a bomb shelter. 

They appeared at the invitation of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as Bono noted on Twitter, saying: “President Zelensky invited us to perform in Kyiv as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and so that’s what we’ve come to do.” 

The duo delivered a 40-minute acoustic set that included some of U2’s most iconic songs, including, With or Without You, Angel of Harlem and Sunday Bloody Sunday which, according to the Irish Times, was accompanied by the sound of air-raid sirens in the distance.

"The people in Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you are fighting for all of us who love freedom," Bono told the audience. "We pray that you will enjoy some of that peace soon.”

Watch below. 

U2 in Kyiv

Bono and the Edge were also joined by Ukrainian singer Taras Topolia, who has had to join the military in recent months, for a rendition of the classic Ben E. King song Stand By Me. Midway through the famous song of solidarity, Bono gave the floor to Topolia, who delivered a message urging world leaders to continue supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion.

“I’m asking you to help our president and our diplomacy to extract Ukraine’s soldiers from Mariupol,” Topolia said, referencing the Ukraine city currently under siege.

Watch the performance below.

U2 w/Taras Topolia | ‘Stand By Me’ [Kyiv]

Back in April, the U2 duo participated in Global Citizen’s ‘Stand Up for Ukraine’ Livestream, where they addressed the Russian invasion, saying: 

“The brave people of Ukraine are fighting for their freedom — and for ours — in the face of unspeakable violence and an unjust invasion. More than 4 million people, mostly women and children, have had to flee for their lives — a population nearly the size of Ireland. World leaders must stand up and stand by Ukrainians now … those who are fighting and those who have fled … and stand with refugees everywhere who have been forced from their homes and their lands.”

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