Ed Sheeran said he is “grateful” to have had the chance to film the 2step song video in Kyiv before the “devastating acts of violence” began.
The British singer, 31, said it was his first time visiting Ukraine and he felt “so welcomed” during his stay.
The video stars Sheeran and Lil Baby, who featured on the track, as they move across a cityscape backdrop.
Sheeran said: “I filmed the video for 2step in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine before the devastating acts of violence started to take place.
“It was my first time visiting the country and I felt so welcomed during my stay there – everyone from the production crew to the many people I met across my days off.
“Ukraine is a proud and resilient country and I’m grateful to have had the chance to film my video there.”
The video’s Ukrainian production company, Radioaktivefilm, said the video “really reminds us of the best of times”.
They added: “It was the last video we did before our world fell apart.
‘I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms’ 🥰
The one and only @edsheeran is stealing our hearts tonight #ConcertForUkraine
To donate, head to https://t.co/O6jz1IBQiG 💙 💛 pic.twitter.com/NUxDK26yTd
— ITV (@ITV) March 29, 2022
“Watching it gives us some normality and happiness, and we hope you enjoy this video as much as we do right now.”
Sheeran said he is donating record royalties from the video’s YouTube streams to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine humanitarian appeal.
He added: “I stand with Ukraine.”
The Bad Habits singer previously headlined a fundraising concert for Ukraine alongside Camila Cabello and Emeli Sande raising more than £13.4 million for the war-torn nation.
