Aachen (dpa/d.de) – According to newspaper information from German government sources, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) will give the laudatory speech when this year’s Charlemagne Prize is awarded to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Unlike in recent years, the ceremony will not take place on Ascension Day but already on 14 May, announced the city of Aachen. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will give a speech at the ceremony. It is still unclear whether Zelenskiy will attend the ceremony at Aachen town hall in person or via a video link. If he did come, he would be his first visit to Germany since the start of the war.
The Charlemagne Prize, named after Emperor Charlemagne, has been awarded annually since 1950 to individuals who have rendered particular services to Europe and European unification. The citation issued by the Charlemagne Prize Board of Directors in December stated that Zelenskiy was defending not only the sovereignty of Ukraine and the lives of its citizens, “but also Europe and European values”.
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