Two recipients of the World Leader for Peace and Security Award, President Emmanuel Macron (2024) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (2020), are playing visible leadership roles amid ongoing debates about the future of Ukraine and Europe’s security. Their voices underline the continuing responsibility of past BGF–AIWS honorees: to stand at the frontlines of peace, democracy, and security in the face of authoritarian aggression. Macron and von der Leyen exemplify how the culture of leadership promoted by the BGF–AIWS Awards continues to guide policy and inspire action for global stability.
President von der Leyen has emerged as a key trans-Atlantic figure, earning praise from U.S. President Donald Trump for her efforts to strengthen ties. At a recent Group of Seven summit in Canada, she held private discussions with Trump on Ukraine, China, and trade. The U.S. President, long a critic of the EU, even described her as “one of Europe’s most powerful people,” according to The Wall Street Journal, and lauded a trade deal they negotiated in July in Scotland. Von der Leyen has stressed that cooperation with the United States delivers “tangible benefits on both sides.”
President Macron, meanwhile, has pushed for unity among democracies in both security and economic domains. He announced that 26 nations are prepared to provide postwar military backing to Ukraine, either through the deployment of reassurance forces or by maintaining a strong presence across land, sea, and air in the region. Both he and von der Leyen have also voiced concern over the plight of Ukrainian children abducted by Russian forces, underscoring the human costs of the conflict.
Together, Macron and von der Leyen show how the World Leader for Peace and Security Award laureates remain active, shaping not only Europe’s future but also the wider struggle for peace, democracy, and justice.
📖 Related coverage:
- The Guardian – European Leaders Pressure Trump on Ukraine Support
- Wall Street Journal – EU’s Ursula von der Leyen Urges Clarity from Trump
- NDTV – Meet Ursula von der Leyen, the Woman Trump Calls Europe’s Most Powerful Leader
