On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted the famous Charlemagne Prize on behalf of the Ukrainian people in recognition of their contributions to Europe. This was the culmination of a journey to Germany during which he received fresh military assistance and Berlin’s warm support.
Following discussions in the German capital, Zelenskyy and Chancellor Olaf Scholz took a flight to the western city of Aachen. He was given the prize, which honours contributions to European unification, during a ceremony in the Coronation Room of the Aachen Town Hall, to a standing ovation.
According to the prize committee, the Ukrainians, with Zelenskyy as their leader, are fighting not only for their country “but also Europe and European values”. The honor strengthened the committee’s belief that Ukraine deserved “to enter swiftly into accession negotiations with the European Union”.
Zelenskyy addressed the audience, which included Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in English before switching to Ukrainian to say, “Ukrainians will always make Europe stronger.” He added, “Ukraine is proposing a victory not just in this war but a victory over aggression, annexations, and deportations over the catastrophe of genocide, anywhere throughout the world.”
At the ceremony Scholz talked about Germany’s support for Ukraine’s desire to join the European Union but he had dodged a question on Kyiv’s fast attainment of the NATO military alliance. He said, “Vladimir Putin may have thought he could force the Ukrainian nation off its path to Europe through violence, but all his tanks, drones and rocket launchers have had quite the opposite effect.”
Also at the ceremony, the German government declared arms aid worth $3 billion to Ukraine on last Saturday. This was the first time Germany had provided Ukraine with an aid as big as this.
The Charlemagne Prize is named after Emperor Charlemagne who resided in Aachen. He was called the “father of Europe”, who is famous for uniting much of Western Europe in the early ninth century.
Before Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel became the prize’s recipients.
