Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeks nomination for Noble Peace Prize amid war crisis

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, according to reports on Friday, March 18.

The president, whose country is engaged in a war with Russia, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by a group of European politicians.

Several current and former European leaders have written to the Norwegian Nobel Committee requesting that Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. As a result, the nomination period has been extended until March 31.

However, the award's original nomination deadline passed at the end of January.

The letter reads, "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... People all over Ukraine are rising up to resist the forces of authoritarianism...We believe that now is the time to show the people of Ukraine that the world is on their side.”

36 politicians from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia signed the letter. Political figures from all across the world can sign the letter until March 30.

Experts say the request to circumvent the Nobel Prize nomination process is unprecedented in the history. However, Russia's war on Ukraine is also an unprecedented occurrence since World War II.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Russian troops bombard Ukrainian cities and villages with artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, and ballistic missiles, shelling and destroying infrastructure.