Zelenskyy and Tsikhanouskaya briefly crossed paths for the first time at the award ceremony in Germany
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leader of the Belarusian opposition in exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya briefly crossed paths in Germany during the 2023 Charlemagne International Prize ceremony.
Source: European Pravda
Congratulations to @ZelenskyyUa and the People of Ukraine for being awarded the International Charlemagne Prize Award 2023. #karlspreis2023 pic.twitter.com/TJ5t6GrE27
Advertisement:— Karlspreis (@KarlspreisAC) May 14, 2023
The Charlemagne Prize, which is awarded for contribution to the unification of Europe, was awarded to the President and people of Ukraine this year. The ceremony was attended by many European politicians.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya posted a video on Twitter from the sidelines, as she and Zelenskyy briefly shook hands and greeted each other. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola are standing nearby.
I was honored to meet President @ZelenskyyUa today in #Aachen & to congratulate him on this year's @KarlspreisAC. We stand united with Ukraine 🇺🇦 for freedom & for democracy. #karlspreis2023 pic.twitter.com/h2XX9SOAQQ
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) May 14, 2023
As it is known, this is the first time that Zelenskyy and Tsikhanouskaya crossed paths at a public event.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya ran for the 2020 presidential election in Belarus instead of her husband Sergei, who was detained during the election campaign and sentenced to 18 years in prison in December 2021.
Since the suppression of protests by Belarusians against election fraud, Tsikhanouskaya has been abroad, where she carries out actual political activities as a legitimate representative of Belarus recognized by a number of Western states.
Last year, Tsikhanouskaya announced the creation of a "collective executive body" – the United Transitional Cabinet, and also suggested Zelenskyy establish diplomatic relations with it.
In March 2023, the informal representation of democratic Belarus started operating in Brussels.
Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
