Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was named the winner of the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award on Monday for his “courageous fight against tyranny,” according to a new report.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, the organization behind the award, selected Zelensky for his stand for freedom against Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, Axios first reported.
“The world applauds President Zelensky and all that he stands for — democracy, individual liberty, freedom, and hope,” Fred Ryan, chairman of the foundation and institute board of trustees, said in a statement.
“As Americans, we know that freedom is as much a part of us as our blood. It can’t be bartered away. The truth is that the word freedom is deceptively simple. It’s a word that describes the God-given condition of the human soul,” Reagan said in a video regarding the announcement released by the Reagan Foundation.
“President Zelenskyy will become the eleventh recipient of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation’s highest recognition. He follows in a long line of world leaders who, like Ronald Reagan, have contributed greatly to the cause of freedom worldwide,” the Reagan Foundation added in a statement alongside the video.
“Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was sworn in as the President of Ukraine on May 20, 2019, has become the face of Ukraine’s resistance against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invading forces. President Zelenskyy’s platform of anti-corruption and national unity helped win him widespread support. Although a political novice with no military background, President Zelenskyy has earned the respect of Ukraine and those around the world by refusing to flee the capital, urging Ukrainians to resist, and crafting a successful communications strategy that has won over European leaders and citizens,” the statement added.
Former President Ronald Reagan first presented the award to former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1992 during a ceremony at the Reagan Library. Other past recipients have included former President George H. W. Bush, former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and former U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
The news also comes as Zelensky held a call with U.S. senators on Saturday that partially blamed Russia’s invasion into Ukraine on Democrat President Joe Biden’s refusal to enact sanctions against Russia prior to the invasion. The Daily Wire reported:
Zelensky told Senators that if the U.S. “had started sanctions months ago, there would not have been war.”
Reuters noted just a few days before Russia invaded Ukraine that Biden was “refus[ing] to unleash sanctions on Russia” until Russia invaded, despite numerous officials, including Zelensky, saying that the sanctions could stop the invasion from happening.
“You tell me 100% that there will be war in a few days’ time. What are you waiting for?” Zelensky said before the invasion. “We will not need your sanctions after there is a bombardment, or after our state is shot at, or if we have no more borders, we do not have an economy, or parts of our state is occupied.”