Overview
- Zelenskyy accepted the International Four Freedoms Award in Middelburg on Thursday, receiving it from Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten with King Willem-Alexander and Princess Beatrix in attendance.
- He accepted the prize on behalf of the Ukrainian people and asked the hall to pause for a moment of silence for those killed by Russian attacks.
- Using the visit to press allies, he highlighted recent pledges including a €4 billion German defense package, a €9 billion Norwegian commitment, and a Dutch plan to buy €248 million in drones for Ukraine.
- Other 2026 honorees were the Committee to Protect Journalists, French activist Gisèle Pelicot, and Chilean advocate Isidora Uribe Silva, while the Freedom of Worship recipient was withheld for security reasons.
- The awards are named for Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 Four Freedoms and are presented in Middelburg, a Dutch city linked to the Roosevelt family’s roots.