Zeman awarded the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the highest state award of the country - the Order of the White Lion.
Zeman said this during the state awards ceremony, which took place in the historic Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle, the residence of Czech presidents, Radio Svoboda reports.
In his speech, Zeman stressed that he sought to commemorate the Ukrainian president for his courage in defending Kyiv against Russian aggression.
"That is why the Ukrainian flag was hoisted in the courtyard of the Castle, so the Ukrainian national anthem was played here for the first time and that is why we invited you to come to this meeting to help Ukrainian refugees financially," the Czech president said.
Zeman noted that Zelenskyy "showed courage and bravery. And, although the United States offered him an evacuation, he remained in the capital of his country, where he manages its defense." In his speech, Zeman also noted that the event (state awards ceremony - ed.) takes place at a time when, near the Czech Republic, "war caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine is raging."
The state awards ceremony takes place in the Czech Republic every year on October 28, the day of the founding of Czechoslovakia. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was cancelled in 2020 and 2021.
It should be noted that Zeman had a reputation as one of the most Kremlin-friendly European politicians. In the past, he questioned the need for sanctions and spoke ambiguously about the occupation of Crimea. However, after a new Russian military invasion of Ukraine, Zeman strongly condemned Russian aggression, expressed support for Ukraine and called for tough sanctions against the Kremlin.
As reported earlier, Zelenskyy was also awarded the Ronald Reagan Freedom Medal. The medal was presented to the Ambassador of Ukraine in the United States, Oksana Markarova, by the head of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Fund, Frederic Ryan.