Slovakia has awarded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy one of the country’s top awards, the State Award of Alexander Dubcek symbolizing "freedom and hope."
Zelenskiy has been hailed as a hero in Ukraine and around the world, remaining in Kyiv and rallying Ukrainians to keep up their resistance after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his unprovoked assault on the country on February 24.
He has also made virtual addresses to parliaments and other elected bodies around the globe, appealing for more aid for Ukraine, particularly military aid.
Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Geger announced in a tweet late on March 27 that Zelenskiy was being honored with the award, named in honor of the Slovak reformer.
Dubcek was the reformist leader of then-Czechoslovakia when Soviet-led Warsaw Pact troops invaded the country in 1968 to put down the Prague Spring that he had initiated, including an easing of media censorship and restrictions on free speech.
