Video address of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya at the link.
- Text of address:
“Dear friends,
Last year, I had the honor to accept the Charlemagne Prize on behalf of all Belarusians who want to live in peace and freedom. I am very happy that the Charlemagne Prize this year is being awarded to President Volodomyr Zelenskyy and the People of Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy has shown exceptional personal bravery and he has demonstrated what true leadership is. Fearless, always articulate. He is an inspiration not just for Ukrainians, but for all the world. He became a global voice.
He has led his country through the hardest times, and with a few words – “I am here” – he galvanized his nation to take up arms and fight off the aggressor.
The people of Ukraine have endured incredible suffering, but they continue to defend their freedom and their right to decide their own future. In Belarus, we are also fighting for our freedom and our right to exist as a nation.
The fight between democracy and tyranny, between the past and the future, unites us. Ukrainians and Belarusians have made a clear choice for freedom.
There is no question; we must win. If we lose, darkness will once again fall across Europe.
Thousands of Belarusians are fighting for Ukraine. For your freedom – and for ours. As I said in my speech in Aachen last year, the history and future should belong to us, the free people of Europe.
My heartfelt congratulations to President Zelenskyy and the People of Ukraine on being awarded the Charlemagne Prize. Let us together banish dictators to the past and build a common future in friendship.
Thank you”.
