European Leaders write to Nobel Committee, seek to nominate Zelenskyy for Peace Prize

In an interesting development amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, a group of European politicians wrote to the Nobel Committee to consider the Nobel Peace Prize nomination for President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine. Addressing the Nobel Committee with an open letter, the leaders requested to extend the nomination procedure for the Nobel Peace Prize until March 31, 2022, to allow nomination for the Ukrainian president and his people. The letter lauded the courage of Ukraine amid the ongoing war against Russia and said that the prize nomination would symbolise the support for them from the world.

The deadline for nomination for the Nobel awards expired on January 31. Now, a group of European politicians wrote to the Nobel Committee to extend the dates to allow a nomination for President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian citizens. “In light of historically unprecedented events, we respectfully call upon the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to re-open and reconsider the 2022 nomination procedure for the Nobel Peace Prize,” the open letter signed by the European leaders read.

"We are witness to the courage of the people of Ukraine withstanding this war waged upon them by the Russian Federation. Brave Ukrainian men and women are fighting to preserve democracy and self-government. From the defiance democratically elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the man with tears in his eyes saying goodbye to his family to fight for his country, people all over Ukraine are rising up to resist the forces of authoritarianism,” the letter reads. “We believe that now is the time to show the people of Ukraine that the world is on their side," it added urging the Nobel committee to consider the request.

Reiterating the request, the leaders added that the break of protocol for the same would be justified as it comes due to an unprecedented situation. “It is our democratic duty to stand up to authoritarianism and to support a people fighting for democracy and their right to self-government,” the letter read. The letter addressed to the Nobel Committee was signed by 36 European politicians from the Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia. 

Russian invasion of Ukraine largely stalled on all fronts: UK defence ministry

Meanwhile, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday said that the Russian forces have made minimal progress on land, sea or air in recent days and they continue to suffer heavy losses. In its latest Defence Intelligence Update posted on social media, the MoD said that while the movement of Russia has largely stalled, the Ukrainian resistance remained well-coordinated. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has largely stalled on all fronts, the MoD intelligence update read. The vast majority of Ukrainian territory, including all major cities, remains in Ukrainian hands, it added.

Image: AP