Zelenskyy presents von der Leyen with Order of Europe: 'No one can take it away'
On Ukrainian Statehood Day, President Zelenskyy awarded European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen the newly created Order of Europe, stating that the award cannot be canceled or revoked.
At a ceremony marking Ukrainian Statehood Day in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with the newly established Ukrainian state award – the Order of Europe. This is the first such order to be awarded since its creation.
Addressing von der Leyen, Zelenskyy emphasized that this is "the first Ukrainian Order of Europe" and that "no one will ever be able to cancel or take it away, because Ukraine's word is firm." He thanked her for "always believing in us."
The award was conferred by presidential decree, which states that von der Leyen received the order for "outstanding personal merits in supporting Ukraine's strategic course towards full membership in the European Union."
It is worth noting that the Verkhovna Rada passed a law on July 14 establishing the new state award – the Order of Europe. According to the law, the order will be awarded to Ukrainian citizens and foreigners for outstanding personal contributions to Ukraine's progress toward EU membership.
