AACHEN (dpa-AFX) – EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen paid tribute to the award winner and the Ukrainian people in view of the presentation of the Charlemagne Prize to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj. “They are literally fighting for freedom, humanity and peace,” she said on Sunday in Aachen, according to the speech transcript. With their blood and their lives, they secured the future of their children and ours, said the top German politician. Zelenskyj has the unconditional belief that those who fight for something are always stronger than those who want to impose their yoke on others.
She also recalled her first trip to Ukraine after the outbreak of war. “I saw the mass graves next to the church, the body bags lying close together,” she said, referring to her visit to the Kiev suburb of Bucha, which was occupied by Russian troops in spring 2022 and where the bodies of hundreds of civilians were later found. “I will never forget the image of countless candles,” she emphasized. Each one stood for the life of a father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister that was senselessly wiped out./mjm/DP/mis