The British newspaper Financial Times named President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy "Person of the Year".
According to the newspaper, he embodies the resilience of his people and "has become a standard-bearer of liberal democracy."
“44-year-old Volodymyr Zelenskyy has earnt a place in history for his extraordinary display of leadership and fortitude,” the article reads.
The FT notes that Ukraine surprised the whole world when it withstood the full-scale invasion of Russia in February, and subsequently recaptured most of the territories seized by the occupiers.
The British newspaper also drew attention to the effectiveness of Ukrainian diplomacy and Zelenskyy's work in this area. It notes that Kyiv has managed to rally the West into a coalition in support of Ukraine, in particular in terms of finance and arms supplies.
The FT also calls Zelenskyy the antithesis of Russian President Vladimir Putin, "whose obsession with rebuilding an empire has cost hundreds of thousands of lives."
“Zelenskyy has also come to embody the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people in their fight against Russian aggression. It is for these reasons that the Financial Times has chosen Zelenskyy as the person of the year,” the publication justifies its choice.
In an interview with the FT, Zelenskyy said that he did not leave Kyiv in the first days of the war not because of great courage, but because of responsibility: "I am more responsible than brave. . . I just hate letting people down".
The newspaper notes that Zelenskyy became president as a newcomer to politics and headed a country that had been at war against Russian invaders for five years.
Last year, the FT named "Person of the Year" Elon Musk.