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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people received the International Four Freedoms Award. Since the large-scale Russian invasion in 2022 President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people have relentlessly been fighting for their freedom and independence. By awarding the International Four Freedoms Award, the board of the Roosevelt Foundation expresses its support to the Ukrainian people and president Zelenskyy. Chairman Hugo de Jonge: “The award expresses deep admiration and recognition for the courage, perseverance and the enormous resilience of all people in Ukraine who continue to fight for justice, freedom and democracy. It is a fight that concerns all of us.”
President Zelensky symbolizes a nation and a people who, under extreme circumstances, continue to stand up for freedom, self‑determination, and democracy. Since the Russian invasion, Ukraine has been defending not only its own sovereignty but also the fundamental values that underpin Europe and the international legal order. This requires courage, resilience, and leadership. Roosevelt spoke, in a time of global threat, about freedom as a moral compass. Zelensky speaks about that same principle: that fear must not prevail, and that democracy must be defended. This award expresses deep admiration and appreciation for the courage and perseverance that Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have shown in their fight for the right to freedom and democracy.
More about the war in Ukraine
Since the large-scale Russian invasion in 2022 President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have relentlessly been fighting for their freedom and independence. The war is taking a terrible toll. Many tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions have fled. For four years - people of all ages have lived in fear and uncertainty. Cities and villages have been destroyed, and during the cold winter months, life is extremely difficult, without water, electricity or heating. Despite these harsh circumstances the Ukrainian people demonstrate enormous resilience. The president and the Ukrainian people continue tirelessly to resist and fight for their independence. They are fighting for the security of all of Europe and are defending, with their lives what protects us all: freedom, democracy, and the rule of law over the ‘rule of the strongest’.