Time magazine also paid tribute to “the spirit of Ukraine,” Polish state news agency PAP reported on Wednesday.
Zelensky, 44, is a former actor, comedian and writer. He became president of Ukraine in 2019.
Zelensky 'galvanized the world’
The magazine’s Edward Felsenthal wrote of this year’s choice: “Whether the battle for Ukraine fills one with hope or with fear, Volodymyr Zelensky galvanized the world in a way we haven’t seen in decades.”
He added: “This year’s choice was the most clear-cut in memory.”
Time magazine said: “For proving that courage can be as contagious as fear, for stirring people and nations to come together in defense of freedom, for reminding the world of the fragility of democracy—and of peace—Volodymyr Zelensky and the spirit of Ukraine are TIME’s 2022 Person of the Year."
‘Ukraine’s President was everywhere’
Felsenthal stressed that in the weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Zelensky’s decision “not to flee Kyiv but to stay and rally support” was of key importance in the war.
He added: “From his first 40-second Instagram post on Feb. 25—showing that his Cabinet and civil society were intact and in place—to daily speeches delivered remotely to the likes of houses of Parliament, the World Bank, and the Grammy Awards, Ukraine’s President was everywhere.”
On Monday, Zelensky was named person of the year by Britain’s Financial Times newspaper.
Last year, Time magazine chose Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, as its person of the year, the PAP news agency reported.
Wednesday is day 287 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, time.com, CNN