U2 is releasing a merchandise collection — with items featuring an illustration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky drawn by Bono — to raise money to buy ambulances in Ukraine.
The limited-edition collection announced Thursday includes $90 “Freedom and Fear” hoodies, $45 T-shirts and a $50 lithograph of Zelensky created by the U2 frontman and “Beautiful Day” singer.
The Zelensky illustration — with the words “The choice is between freedom and fear” written above his head — first appeared on the June cover of The Atlantic.
The collection released on U2’s website is a collaboration with UNITED24, the Ukrainian government’s fundraising platform that Zelensky launched last year. A statement from UNITED24 said that it chose to direct all net profits raised by sales of the U2 items “specifically to the purchase of ambulances.”
The band’s charitable effort comes more than a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Last year, Bono and bandmate The Edge put on a surprise performance inside a Kyiv subway following an invitation from Zelensky.
“The people of Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you’re fighting for all of us,” Bono said at the time.
Several celebrities have teamed up with UNITED24 before, including “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill and Barbra Streisand, who both serve as ambassadors for the group.