L e a d e r s

OLENA ZELENSKA A light for Ukraine BY JILL BIDEN

A writer who worked behind the scenes, she never asked for a spotlight. A mother of two, she never asked to become the heart of a nation at war.

Olena Zelenska didn’t expect to become a warrior for the people of Ukraine, but she has answered this call with selfless courage.

I met the First Lady last Mother’s Day in a small town near the edge of her country, just a few months after Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression began. Instinctively, we embraced—two mothers, two nations, coming together for peace. In the strain of her smile, I could see the weight she carried: the sleep lost to the percussion of falling bombs, the tales of atrocities that she would never forget. In her eyes, however, was the fierce determination and dignity that has defined her people.

She could take her family and flee. What mother would blame her? Yet, she stays. She stays because freedom and democracy deserve defenders. She stays to show the world that heart and hope can make even the largest tyrant seem small. She stays for her children—for their future, and the future of all Ukrainians.

Olena Zelenska is a mother. Protector. The pride of her nation. A beacon of hope for the people she loves. Biden is First Lady of the United States

Gustavo Petro SETTING A NEW COURSE By Gabriel Boric

When Gustavo Petro assumed the presidency of Colombia in August 2022, I was lucky enough to be there to see the streets of Bogotá full of people—and of hope. Gustavo, the leader of a historic political coalition, has built an ambitious and transformative program. With the pragmatism required to exercise power, he has built broad alliances that allow him to dialogue with most of the democratic forces in his country. His north star is deepening Colombia’s peace plan, using all of the knowledge gained in recent years in a territory that was besieged by violence for far too long, along with rebuilding Latin American unity beyond rhetoric—a goal we share. Gustavo also dares to speak about complex issues, like the failure of the antidrug policy championed by the U.S. and the need to overhaul it; the fair distribution of wealth in his country and in the world; and the imperative to care for the environment in the context of a global climate crisis. He’s a leader who makes difficult decisions and learns fast. I deeply respect him and the projects he embodies. Boric is the President of Chile

Margrethe Vestager TAKING ON BIG TECH By Ayesha Javed