MIDDELBURG, Netherlands – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Netherlands Thursday to receive a prestigious international honor recognizing his nation’s resistance against Russian aggression.
The Roosevelt Foundation presented Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people with the International Four Freedoms Award during a ceremony in the historic Dutch town of Middelburg. The award takes its name from a famous 1941 address by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that identified four essential human liberties: freedom of expression and speech, freedom of religion, freedom from poverty, and freedom from fear.
When announcing the award selection in January, foundation officials stated they chose Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s citizens in “recognition for their courageous struggle for our freedom and democracy under exceptionally difficult circumstances.”
“They are battling for the security of all Europe and defending, with their lives,” the foundation declared.
Russia’s military assault on Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, forced millions from their homes, and left Ukrainian cities in ruins.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Prime Minister Rob Jetten attended Thursday’s award ceremony.
The 2026 awards also recognized other champions of freedom, including the Committee to Protect Journalists for their work defending free speech, and French activist Gisele Pelicot, whose husband was found guilty of orchestrating her repeated sexual assault by strangers, receiving the Freedom from Fear honor.
Security considerations prevented organizers from publicly identifying the Freedom of Worship award recipient, while Chilean advocate Isidora Uribe Silva earned recognition in the Freedom from Want category.
The Four Freedoms Awards have previously honored notable figures including former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former German leader Angela Merkel, the Dalai Lama, and the late South African President Nelson Mandela.
