Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Receive Ronald Reagan Freedom Award

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute announced today that it will award its prestigious Ronald Reagan Freedom Award to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his courageous fight against tyranny and for his indomitable stance for freedom and democracy.  As President Reagan once said, "We stand against totalitarianism, particularly imperialistic expansionist totalitarianism. We are for democracy and human rights."

President Zelenskyy will become the eleventh recipient of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation's highest recognition.  He follows in a long line of world leaders who, like Ronald Reagan, have contributed greatly to the cause of freedom worldwide. Appropriately, our 40th President was privileged to bestow the first Ronald Reagan Freedom Award upon Mikhail Gorbachev at the Reagan Library on May 4, 1992. Other Reagan Freedom Award winners since then include General Colin Powell, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, His Majesty King Hussein I, Lady Margaret Thatcher, President George H.W. Bush, Natan Sharansky and President Lech Walesa.

"The world applauds President Zelenskyy and all that he stands for – democracy, individual liberty, freedom, and hope," said Fred Ryan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. Ryan is set to formally provide word of the foundation's award to Zelenskyy by letter, one he will deliver today to Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markova, at a 10:00 a.m. meeting at the Ukrainian Embassy. "These are the values and principles that Ronald Reagan fought for all his life and what his foundation promotes today. President Zelenskyy's devotion to the cause of freedom is truly a symbol of man's highest aspiration. He deserves to receive the Reagan Freedom Award."

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was sworn in as the President of Ukraine on May 20, 2019, has become the face of Ukraine's resistance against Russian President Vladimir Putin's invading forces. President Zelenskyy's platform of anti-corruption and national unity helped win him widespread support. Although a political novice with no military background, President Zelenskyy has earned the respect of Ukraine and those around the world by refusing to flee the capital, urging Ukrainians to resist, and crafting a successful communications strategy that has won over European leaders and citizens.

About the Ronald Reagan Foundation & Institute:

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute is the sole nonprofit organization created by President Reagan charged with continuing his legacy and sharing his principles - individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy and national pride. The Foundation is a non-partisan organization which sustains the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, CA, the Reagan Center for Public Affairs, the Presidential Learning Center, The Air Force One Pavilion, the award-winning Discovery Center and the Reagan Institute, which carries out the Foundation's mission in Washington, DC.

The Reagan Library houses over 55 million pages of Gubernatorial, Presidential and personal papers and over 60,000 gifts and artifacts chronicling the lives of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. It also serves as the final resting place of America's 40th President and his First Lady.

Media Contact:
Melissa Giller
(805) 522.2977

SOURCE The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute