Zelensky may become a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize
Photo: OPU
A group of European politicians addressed the Nobel Committee with a corresponding open letter.
They asked the Nobel Committee to extend the nomination procedure for the Nobel Peace Prize until March 31, 2022, to allow for a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine. Officially, the deadline for nomination for the award expired on January 31.
"We are witness to the courage of the people of Ukraine withstanding this war waged upon them by the Russian Federation. Brave Ukrainian men and women are fighting to preserve democracy and self-government. From the defiance democratically elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the man with tears in his eyes saying goodbye to his family to fight for his country, people all over Ukraine are rising up to resist the forces of authoritarianism. We believe that now is the time to show the people of Ukraine that the world is on their side," reads the letter.
The letter to the Nobel Committee was signed by 36 European politicians from the Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia. The letter is open to co-sign by political leaders across the world until March 30th.
The signatories include the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Member of the European Parliament Urmas Paet, Former Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus Ansip, Director of Political Affairs at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies and former Member of Parliament (VVD) Han ten Broeke, Member of the European Parliament and Vice-President of the EVP Esther de Lange, Member of the European Parliament Katrin Langensiepen, former Dutch Defence Ministers Ank Bijleveld and Joris Voorhoeve, former Dutch Foreign Ministers Bernard Bot, Bert Koenders and Maxime Verhagen, former Dutch Deputy Prime Minister André Rouvoet, former European Commissioner Neelie Kroes, former Belgian Prime Minister, European Parliament Member Guy Verhofstad and others.
Mrs. Ank Bijleveld, Former Minister of Defence of the Netherlands (2017-2022) says: «I am convinced that awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the brave people of Ukraine and their President contributes to establishing peace in this horrible conflict. Such recognition right now is of great importance».
"This is an unprecedented event in the history of the Nobel Prize, because, in fact, it is a request to violate the nomination procedure. But Russia's war against Ukraine is also an unprecedented event that the world has not faced since World War II. Of course, we do not yet know the answer of the Nobel Committee, I hope it will be positive. The Nobel Peace Prize has always existed on the basis of democratic values, freedom of speech and expression of will. Last year, the Peace Prize was awarded to journalists Dmitriy Muradov and Maria Ressa precisely for the struggle for freedom of speech. The nomination of Volodymyr Zelensky and the people of Ukraine would be an excellent symbol of the victory of Ukrainians in the age-old struggle for their own freedom and independence," commented Valeria Loshmanova, the founder of the popular science initiative Nobilitet.
