According to a report in the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag published last Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky may visit the German city of Aachen in May to take part in the Charlemagne Prize award ceremony. This would be the first visit of the German president to Germany since the beginning of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. However, the newspaper notes that the conduct of an offensive by Ukrainian troops could lead Zelensky to stay in his country and participate in the event via videoconference.
The Charlemagne Prize is one of the most prestigious in Europe and is awarded annually to a personality who has worked for European unification and peace on the continent. The award ceremony is held in Aachen, the city in which the cathedral built by Charlemagne, which became his coronation site, is located. In previous years, politicians such as Helmut Kohl, François Mitterrand, Bill Clinton, and Angela Merkel have been honored.
Zelensky’s possible visit to Germany is significant at a time when tensions between Ukraine and Russia are on the rise. Russian troops have massed on the Ukrainian border in recent weeks, and there has been an increase in fighting in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists have declared two independent republics.