MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. Singer Yulia Samoilova, who will not have a chance to participate in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest scheduled to be held in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev in May, says she is happy to be confirmed to represent Russia at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.

"It was announced three weeks ago that if I am not able to perform this year, then I will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2018," Samoilova said in an interview with TASS. "Of course, I am upset that I won’t be able to participate this year. But I am happy to be confirmed as the next year’s participant," the singer added.

According to her, it is still too early to start preparations for the next year’s contest.

On Friday, Russia’s Channel One Director Konstantin Ernst said that Samoilova would take part in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. "We have held talks on that with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) so they know that Yulia Samoilova will represent Russia," Ernst said when asked if Russia would participate in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.

Channel One earlier decided to cancel the broadcast of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in light of the entry ban issued by the Ukrainian authorities against the Russian contestant.