Ukraine said Monday it had dropped the singer who won a public vote to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest, as the artist and national broadcaster accused one another of bringing politics into the annual extravaganza.
The ex-Soviet country's public broadcaster, UA PBC, said it did not sign an agreement with 27-year-old Anna Korsun, who performs as Maruv.
The singer, whose videos have been viewed millions of times on YouTube, celebrated a narrow victory at national finals Saturday, and appeared set to perform at Eurovision 2019 in Israel in May.
But after hours of talks on Monday, the broadcaster said it could not agree terms with Korsun, and accused her of politicising the contest.
One of the terms would have banned the singer from giving concerts in Russia, even though she is scheduled to perform in Moscow in April.
The controversy comes after Kiev, as host of Eurovision 2017, banned Russia's entry because she had violated Ukrainian law by performing in Crimea after its 2014 annexation by Russia.
The UA PBC said Korsun would not agree to act as "a cultural ambassador of Ukraine" or as a "spokesperson for the opinion of Ukrainian society in the world.
"The current situation surrounding the national selection this year has signs of politicisation," it added in a statement.
Korsun wrote on Instagram she had refused terms requiring her to play a political role at Eurovision.
"I'm not ready to perform with slogans, turning my appearance at the contest into a promotion for our politicians," she said.
"I'm a musician, not a tool in the political arena."
The singer said the clause banning her from performing in Russia was not the "main point" of disagreement.
The broadcaster's terms, she claimed, could "force me to dance at the birthday of some deputy prime minister."
The terms prohibit any interviews without the broadcaster's consent or any improvisation on stage, while giving her no financial backing, the singer added.
It is not clear who will now represent Ukraine at this year's contest.
Korsun sparked outrage earlier this month, after the semi-final of Ukraine's Eurovision heat, with comments on the Russian-backed insurgency in Ukraine.
"Unfortunately, the national heat for Eurovision 2019 has already become part of Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine," deputy prime minister Vyacheslav Kyrylenko wrote on Twitter.
"An artist who tours in the aggressor state, plans to do so in the future, and sees nothing unacceptable in this, cannot be a representative of Ukraine," he added.
The largely European song competition, which dates back to the 1950s, is typically held in May in the winning country from the previous year.