Jared Leto's 'Russian energy' remarks ignite backlash

Jared Leto is well-known to both music and film fans. However, the Oscar winner hasn't had a good streak lately. While two Golden Raspberries for the worst actor ("House of Gucci," "Morbius") can still be forgiven, it's harder to overlook his words during a 30 Seconds to Mars concert in Serbia.

The vocalist, guitarist, and leader of 30 Seconds to Mars announced the "Seasons 2024 Global Tour" to the world in a dramatic way. He decided to climb the Empire State Building, which symbolized that anything is possible if we just try.

"The building is a testament of all the things that can be done in the world if we put our minds to it, which is largely the inspiration behind our most recent album," Jared Leto explained.

The "Seasons 2024 Global Tour" is 30 Seconds to Mars's first tour in over five years. The American band is visiting Europe, Latin America, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. In May, they performed for their fans in Krakow at their only concert in Poland. Last Friday, 30 Seconds to Mars performed in Belgrade.

It's known that many Russians could have attended the concert in the capital of Serbia, which the band's leader noted. At one point, Jared Leto asked the audience if Russians were among them because he "felt [a] little Russian energy up there tonight." When the audience confirmed his suspicions, the vocalist added: "When all these problems are over, we will come to your homeland."

Leto also declared that he would return to Serbia and visit St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Kyiv, where he said he would have a good time and spend time with everyone. This statement was certainly unfortunate for the star and, for many, even embarrassing because the singer dismissively referred to the war in Ukraine as a "problem."

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted strongly to the star's words. "There can be no appeasement for Russia when it continues its attempts to solve the ‘problem’ of Ukraine’s very existence," reads their statement.