Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy and the “spirit of Ukraine” have been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2022.
Zelenksyy, 44, and his country have been in the spotlight throughout the last year as Ukraine continues to fight off Russian invasion.
The magazine shared the announcement of its latest honor on Wednesday while also releasing a profile on the foreign leader.
The news was shared on the TODAY show by Time Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal, who said that the Ukrainian President has “galvanized” the world through his leadership.
"Whether one looks at this story of Ukraine with a sense of hope or a sense of fear, and the story is, of course, not fully written yet ... Zelenskyy has really galvanized the world in a way we haven't seen in decades," Felsenthal said.
Zelenksyy, who was known as an actor and comedian before being elected to his position in 2019, will now be featured on the cover of this year's Person of the Year edition of Time in his classic military green sweater.
The profile on the Ukrainian President touches on his refusal to evacuate the country when the Russian invasion began in February of this year. It also shared that his continued appearances in frontline regions of Ukraine in the months since the invasion began have helped inspire his people to continue their fight for freedom.
"[Zelenskyy] was adaptable, trained not to lose his nerve under pressure," Time reporter Simon Shuster wrote in the profile. "He knew how to read a crowd and react to its moods and expectations. Now his audience was the world. He was determined not to let them down."
Zelenskyy was chosen from a list of 10 people for the honor. Others to be considered included U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Chinese President Xi Jingping.
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