# Ukrainian presidential honors and diplomatic decrees > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/ukrainian-presidential-honors-and-diplomatic-decrees > Updated: 2026-08-26T01:54:38.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2. President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued several decrees regarding honors and diplomatic designations. During a ceremony marking Ukraine’s Independence Day, Zelensky awarded the Order of Merit of Ukraine to Luís Alves, the Portuguese director of the National Erasmus+ Agency, for his efforts in fostering educational cooperation and supporting displaced Ukrainian youth. Subsequently, Zelensky signed a decree assigning the rank of ‘ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary’ to Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada. This designation serves as an elevation of status rather than a specific embassy appointment, allowing Stefanchuk to retain his parliamentary role while gaining diplomatic passport privileges. The decree also assigned the rank of ‘envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the second class’ to Ihor Ostash, director of the Hennadiy Udovenko Diplomatic Academy. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-26: Ukraine President Zelenskyy awards highest diplomatic rank to Speaker Stefanchuk President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk the highest diplomatic rank of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ukraine-president-zelenskyy-awards-highest-diplomatic-rank-to-speaker-stefanchuk ### 2026-08-24: Volodymyr Zelensky awards Order of Merit to Portuguese Erasmus+ director President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded the Order of Merit of Ukraine to Portuguese Erasmus+ director Luís Alves for his work in supporting Ukrainian youth and educational cooperation. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/volodymyr-zelensky-awards-order-of-merit-to-portuguese-erasmus-director --- Cite as: Ukrainian presidential honors and diplomatic decrees. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/ukrainian-presidential-honors-and-diplomatic-decrees