Ukrainian President Zelensky to receive Charlemagne Prize on May 14

This year's Charlemagne Prize is to be presented to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 14, although it is not clear whether he will accept the award in person.
The International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen is awarded for work done in the service of European unification.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is to give a speech in his honour. Unlike in past years, the award ceremony will not take place on Ascension Day, due to a clash of dates, the city of Aachen said.
Zelensky is accepting the prize on behalf of the Ukrainian people but it is not yet clear whether he will attend the ceremony in person or through a video link. The organizers said they were planning for both eventualities.
"The planning includes both scenarios and depends heavily on the war situation at that time and the corresponding security concepts," city officials said.
The Charlemagne Prize directorate's statement said that Zelensky was not only defending Ukraine's sovereignty and the lives of its citizens, "but also Europe and European values."
Past winners of the prize include former German chancellor Angela Merkel, former British prime minister Tony Blair, French President Emmanuel Macron and former US president Bill Clinton.