Ukraine’s movement to get closer to Europe has been recognized with an important award.

The country’s Euromaidan effort has been given the 2014 Lech Walesa Award.

It was Euromaidan that staged protests in Kyiv that led to the eventual removal of former president Victor Yanukovych.

Nobel Peace Laureate and former president of Poland Lech Walesa has been handing out the annual $100,000 award in support of human rights and democracy since 2008.

Walesa says this year’s prize recognizes Euromaidan and the “consequence and determination of thousands of Ukrainians” in expressing their “pro-European dream.”

He also called on the world to show solidarity with Ukraine as it fights pro-Russian separatists.

The award was accepted in Gdansk, Poland by one of the protest leaders.

Vitali Klitschko is now the mayor of Kyiv.

Despite a ceasefire, fighting continues in eastern Ukraine between government troops and Moscow-backed separatists.