Ukraine is honoring the French film star Alain Delon with an order of merit, because "from the first day of the Russian aggression, he made several statements in favor of Ukraine", said Vadim Omelchenko, the Ukrainian ambassador in Paris, on the French TV5 Monde program.

As he said, Alain Delon assured the Kiev leadership of his unlimited support since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. "For us, it's a symbol, and it's important," the Ukrainian embassy said in a statement.

The diplomatic representation recalled that the actor held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2022, and also read from the works of Ukrainian national poet Taras Shevchenko on television.

On the TV5 Monde program, Omelchenko addressed his words directly to Alain Delon: "Mr. Delon, dear Alain, I know that you are not in an easy situation, but I want to let you know that you are not alone," he said. "He has a lot of fans and people who love him. I, as well as my people, will always be on your side," he said.

At the end of January, Delon, whose health is deteriorating, was "placed under judicial protection" by the guardianship judge of a court south of Paris in order to provide adequate medical care for the actor legend, which is the main point of contention between his three children. Most recently, judicial protection was extended to cover your financial affairs as well.

MTI

Cover photo: MTI/EPA/Ian Langsdon