French President Emmanuel Macron, left, greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Elysee Palace before having dinner with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Wednesday, February 8, 2023 in Paris.
Lewis Joly/AP
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Lewis Joly/AP
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Elysee Palace before having dinner with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Wednesday, February 8, 2023 in Paris.
Lewis Joly/AP
BRUSSELS – Ukraine’s wartime leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now been awarded France’s highest honor. But there’s a problem: Russian President Vladimir Putin has the same medal.
French President Emmanuel Macron pinned the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor to Zelenskyy’s chest after the two met at the French presidential palace on Thursday, a move Macron said was meant to show “loud recognition” great” for Ukraine’s bravery since Russia invaded the country a year ago.
Some French lawmakers and activists have called on Macron to cancel Putin’s award because of the war.
Macron did not rule out stripping him of the honor that then-President Jacques Chirac bestowed on Putin in 2006.
Macron told reporters on Friday that such a decision “has serious implications and it should be made at the right time”. He noted that he has canceled this honor in the past.
Macron has stripped Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of his Legion of Honor award after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct were brought against him in 2017. Disgraced cyclist and former Tour de France star Lance Armstrong also revoked the French Legion of Honor award.
