U2 IS SELLING limited-edition merchandise to raise funds for the purchase of ambulances in Ukraine.
The merch features an illustration of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as drawn by U2 frontman Bono.
The collection includes t-shirts, hoodies and a lithograph.
All net profits from the sale of this limited-edition collection will go to UNITED24, a body run by the Ukrainian governments to raise funds for the Ukrainian war effort.
Bono’s illustration was originally featured on the cover of the Atlantic magazine earlier this year.
UNITED24 coordinator Yaroslava Gres said: “We are very happy about this new joint project, as it will help raise funds to support heroic Ukrainian medical workers.
“During the last year of UNITED24′s work, such fundraisers allowed the purchase of almost 200 ambulances, and thousands of pieces of equipment: from generators for hospitals to ALV devices, from C-arm X-ray machines to rehabilitation equipment for the wounded. Every piece of equipment saves lives.”
Bono’s illustration of President Zelenskyy for the June cover of The Atlantic is featured on a new limited-edition merch collection to raise funds for UNITED24 to purchase ambulances in Ukraine. The limited-edition merch collection includes t-shirts, hoodies, and a lithograph.… pic.twitter.com/BxtDY8ZobW
— U2 (@U2) June 29, 2023
Bono said in a statement: “Drawing for me is an excuse to stare at someone whose face or life I might be fascinated with. My drawings are not cartoons, but they are often caricatures of character.
“In the case of president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, we have burdened him with impossible expectations – and impossibly, he has not let us down. I suppose that’s because President Zelenskyy is not now one person, he’s the Ukrainian people.
U24❤️@U2!
— U24 (@U24_gov_ua) June 29, 2023
We're happy to announce a new project with the legendary band. Earlier this year, Bono painted a portrait of @ZelenskyyUa. This illustration appeared on the cover of @TheAtlantic, which published an interview with the President, alongside a report from the front lines. pic.twitter.com/NTc4Ibp4Ay
“How do you draw that? Well, you can’t. So I tried to make an icon of his visage instead. A few squiggles and I just got out of the way.”
Last May,, Bono and Edge travelled to Ukraine at the request of Zelenskyy to perform in Kyiv as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
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