Zelensky honored with Ronald Reagan Freedom Award

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation announced on Monday that it will award the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “for his courageous fight against tyranny and for his indomitable stance for freedom and democracy.”

"The world applauds President Zelensky and all that he stands for—democracy, individual liberty, freedom and hope," chairman of the foundation and institute board of trustees, Fred Ryan, said in a statement according to Axios, which first reported the expected award.

Reagan would be so proud... The former prez gave his first Freedom Award to Gorbachev in 1992 at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. Today The Reagan Presidential Foundation gave the award to Zelensky... https://t.co/3sIfHcuf6j

— Gordon Lubold (@glubold) March 7, 2022

Ryan first informed the Ukrainian government of the foundation’s decision to honor Zelensky – “the face of Ukraine’s resistance against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invading forces – during a meeting with Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova.

"These are the values and principles that Ronald Reagan fought for all his life and what his foundation promotes today," Ryan said. "President Zelensky’s devotion to the cause of freedom is truly a symbol of man’s highest aspiration. He deserves to receive the Reagan Freedom Award."

The award is considered the "highest civilian honor" bestowed by the Foundation and is given to those who have made "monumental and lasting contributions to the cause of freedom worldwide."

Zelensky will be the eleventh recipient of the Award, joining the ranks of U.S. General Colin Powell, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the U.K.’s Lady Margaret Thatcher, U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Polish President Lech Walesa.

President Reagan bestowed the first Ronald Reagan Freedom Award upon Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev – the man credited with helping bring down the Iron Curtain and warm relations between the East and the West -- at the Reagan Library on May 4, 1992.

Zelensky was sworn in as the president of Ukraine in May 2019 and has since become the "face of Ukraine's resistance against Russian President Vladimir Putin's invading forces," the Reagan Foundation said, adding that while he was a "political novice with no military background, President Zelensky 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." 

In a 1987 address to the American people, Reagan explained his world view by stating, “We stand against totalitarianism, particularly imperialistic expansionist totalitarianism. We are for democracy and human rights, and we're for a worldwide prosperity that only free economies can give and the pursuit of human happiness that only political freedom allows.”

In a video address to the Ukrainian people on Monday, Zelensky said the nation “never wanted this war, but it has been brought.”

"We never dreamed of killing but we are forced to get the enemy away from our lives and our land," he said. "We have to go through things that any other European people hasn't had to experience in the last 80 years."