Von der Leyen: Ukrainians defending Europe's future with own blood

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has paid tribute to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people as they are awarded the Charlemagne prize for their efforts to counter the full-scale Russian attack on their country.

"They are literally fighting for freedom, humanity and peace," von der Leyen said during the award ceremony in the western German city of Aachen on Sunday, according to the speech transcript.

With their blood and their lives, they were securing the future of their own and also other European children, the top EU official said, praising Zelensky for his unconditional belief that those who fought for something were always stronger than those who wanted to impose their yoke on others.

Von der Leyen also recalled her first trip to Ukraine after the beginning of the Russian invasion last year. "I saw the mass graves next to the church, the body bags lying close together," she said, referring to her visit to the Kiev suburb of Bucha, which was occupied by Russian troops in the spring of 2022.

"I will never forget the image of the countless candles" representing the lives of a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother or a sister, senselessly extinguished, she stressed.