Volodymyr Zelensky hugged a veteran at a D-Day ceremony in Normandy and told him: “You saved Europe…you are our hero”.
The Ukrainian president exchanged emotional words with the veteran on a surprise trip to Thursday’s international ceremony on Omaha beach.
The man, who was sitting in a wheelchair, pulled Mr Zelensky in to tell him: “You’ll save all the people. You’re my hero.”
The Ukrainian leader replied: “No, no, you saved Europe. You are our hero.”
A video feed of the two men embracing was beamed onto screens at Omaha beach, in northern Normandy, and applauded by crowds of veterans and their family members.