MIDDELBURG, Netherlands, April 16 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy observed a minute of silence on Thursday for the victims of extensive overnight Russian airstrikes as he received the International Four Freedoms Award on behalf of the Ukrainian people for their courage during the war years.
The award, presented in the Netherlands, was inspired by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech in 1941, which outlined four fundamental human rights: freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from deprivation and freedom from fear.
The Roosevelt Foundation said the 2026 prize was given to Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian people in ‘recognition of their courageous fight for our freedom and democracy in exceptionally difficult circumstances.’
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Citing the hardships faced by his people, Zelenskiy declared that the freedom to live without fear should not be taken for granted.
‘We still lack this fundamental freedom. Freedom from the ruins, freedom from those who bring the ruins, freedom from those who seek to destroy everything that matters to normal people,’ he said.
Calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a global threat, he called on the international community to maintain its military, political and legal support for Ukraine.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions and devastated Ukrainian cities since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.
A ceremony in the historic city of Middelburg in the south of the Netherlands was attended by Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Prime Minister Rob Jetten. Roosevelt’s family has roots in the Netherlands, and his granddaughter Anne Roosevelt attended the event, saying the Ukraine war shows that the fight for freedom is still as alive today as it was 80 years ago.
Other 2026 laureates included the Committee to Protect Journalists, for freedom of expression, and activist Gisele Pelicot, the Frenchwoman whose husband was convicted of inviting dozens of men to rape her unconscious body, for freedom from fear.
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The organization said that the winner of the freedom of worship award could not be named due to security concerns, while Chilean activist Isidora Uribe Silva won the freedom from deprivation award.
Previous recipients of the award include former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and the late South African President Nelson Mandela.
