Volodimir Zelensky received the Charlemagne Prize for European Values, hands of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and in the historic Coronation Hall of Aachen (West Germany), an honor that had rank of appreciation of the whole of Europe to the laureate “Europe has a lot to thank President Zelenski and the Ukrainian people for,” said Scholz, who recalled that the list of those awarded the Charlemango is a “who is who” of the European project.
The Ukrainian people represent “immeasurable courage” in the face of a “war of aggression” against a country that “already made its decision in favor of Europe” and now faces “blind imperialism” from Vladimir Putin, in the words of Scholz.
Zelensky collected his award at a key moment in a counteroffensive that, as he had assured, hours before in Berlin, “is almost ready”, but it requires more contributions from allied weapons.
European supports
He did it supported not only by the German staff, but also by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, his two great allies.
Nothing at the Aachen ceremony was business as usual – including the hour-long delay due to security features. Zelensky was received with an ovation as historic as the Coronation Hall and some moist eyes among those present.
The event was preceded by Scholz’s announcement, still in Berlin, of another batch of military aid for 2.7 billion euros – which includes 30 Leopard 1 tanks and 20 Marder infantry battle tanks, 100 armored combat vehicles and 200 reconnaissance drones. This brings German aid to the defense of Ukraine to 17,000 million euros, the largest from a European partner to kyiv, second only to the US.
Zelensky He also reiterated from Berlin his request for combat aircraft and assured that it is not part of his plans to attack Russian territory in his counteroffensive. “Where I go, I do it officially. I don’t break in anywhere,” he assured in his appearance from the Berlin chancellery, from where he flew with Scholz to Aachen.
Pending offensive of “visits” to allies
The long-awaited counteroffensive is “almost ready.” But “a couple of visits” to other allies are missing, said Zelensky, who according to diplomatic sources would fly from Aachen to Paris.
Zelensky’s visit to Germany had been wrapped in a zigzag of newspaper leaks and secrecy on the part of the Scholz government. Any move by the Ukrainian leader requires absolute discretion and any slip up would have ruined a complex trip.
Zelenski repeatedly thanked Scholz for his support, with whom he already has first names, although has been slow to forgive Berlin for past complicity of two successive chancellors – the social democrat Gerhard Schröder and then the conservative Angela Merkel – with Moscow. Schröder was the key player in the energy dependence on Russia, something that Merkel not only did not cut as a result of the annexation of Crimea, in 2014, but even increased.
It was up to Scholz to cut that dependency and commit to maximum solidarity with kyiv, which in addition to the contribution of weapons has resulted in the reception of more than a million Ukrainians. But Scholz’s movements have been maddeningly slow. For months it stopped the delivery of the Leopard 2 tank cars and continues to refuse the shipment of Western fighters.
Reconciliation
Past disagreements were buried this Sunday between Berlin and Aachen. The Charlemagne, instituted in 1950, is an award that has been received from the fathers of the EU, Jean Monnet (1953) and Robert Schuman (1958), to Popes John Paul II (2004) and Francisco (2016).
Related news
It was also given to figures such as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1955), Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González (1993) and German Chancellors and French Presidents, such as Merkel (2008) and Emmanuel Macron (2018). Javier Solana (as NATO Secretary General, 2007) and US President Bill Clinton (2000) are also on the list of winners.
The previous year it had been received by the leaders of the Belarusian opposition Svetlana Tijanóvskaya, Veronika Zepkalo and Maria Kolesnikova. Already in this recognition of the courage of the Belarusians, Ukraine was very present and it became a prize shared by the kyiv defenders, months after the Russian invasion began.