International companies that left Russian markets will be given a “Peace Award” from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his presidential office announced Sunday.
The companies that departed “deserve the respect of Ukrainians and people around the world. After all, indifference and silence are complicity,” said Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President.
“Our goal is not a single penny to the budget of the aggressor country.”
Yermak called on other companies to “make the right choice.”
“It is impossible to support war crimes, it is inadmissible to conduct trade with war criminals and make money on the killing of civilians,” he said.
Some context: Since the invasion, many international corporations have ceased business within Russia across a multitude of industries, including energy, transportation, finance and technology.
In an address to the French parliament last week, Zelensky called for several business giants in France to leave the Russian market and “stop being the sponsors of Russia’s war machine.”
