President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received the Charlemagne Prize awarded to him and the Ukrainian people in Aachen, Germany.
This was reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the ceremony: “Europe has united the Ukrainian people around President Zelenskyy. We stand together. And our story will continue together”.
He noted that “for the first time ever, the Charlemagne Prize is being awarded to a President and his people“. According to Scholz, “Russia’s war of aggression has brought the European Union and Ukraine closer than ever before” and “has cemented one clear realization: Ukraine is part of our European family.”
“Russians and Ukrainians are not ‘one people’,” and “the Ukrainian nation has its […] own culture, […] its own identity,” he said.
Scholz added, “in view of the watershed Russia triggered with its war of aggression, our message today is clear: Europe stands firm and united“.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted, “President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine know what they are fighting for“.
“When I spoke to President Zelenskyy, I already knew about his courage and his will through the many calls and exchanges we had had in those bleak early days and weeks. But looking at him in the eyes, I was struck by the steadfast determination that he exuded. […] I cannot think of a more fitting winner of this Charlemagne prize than President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine. […] they are also fighting for our own freedom and our values” said von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen stressed that “today it is we, who will decide what our Europe will look like in the future. Their [Ukrainians’] will to fight and to be free has amazed the world. […] The civil society has since a decade been the architect of Ukraine’s move towards the European Union“.
“This is why I am convinced that Ukraine will prevail, it will win peace and make its European destiny come true,” she added.
The International Charlemagne Prize is a prestigious European award for contributions to the unification of Europe. It has been awarded annually since 1950 by the German city of Aachen to individuals who have contributed significantly to the ideals behind the prize. It is named in honor of Charlemagne, the founder of the Frankish Empire, who ruled the country from Aachen. It is traditionally awarded on Ascension Day at a ceremony in the Coronation Hall of Aachen City Hall.
Zelenskyy is on a visit to Germany. This is his first trip to Germany during a full-scale war. The Ukrainian president has previously paid official visits to the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Brussels and Poland. According to Bild, the Charlemagne Prize is meant to be a great symbol of friendship between Germany and Ukraine.