“EU is safe only because Ukrainians are resisting Russia’s aggression” — Nobel laureate Matviichuk

European high-ranking officials must consistently highlight the true reasons behind Russia's aggression in Ukraine and help their citizens understand the importance of making the right choices.

This view was expressed by Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk during the Paris Peace Summit, in a conversation with a Ukrinform correspondent.

"Abroad, it's crucial to continuously emphasize that free Europe has no choice. For Russia, Ukraine is not the goal; it's a means to disrupt the world order. Putin doesn't just want a bit more land in Donbas—he aims to restore the Russian empire and cement his place in world history.

And I always make it clear in every meeting that the European Union remains safe only because Ukrainians continue to resist Russia's aggression," explained Matviichuk, a leading speaker at the forum in Paris.

As Matviichuk pointed out, while Europe now knows who the president of the United States is, there remains uncertainty about his future policies.

"The only clear trend is that more and more people in European countries are realizing that during times of crisis, leadership and responsibility must be shown.

It is important to explain to citizens that the war is not only military, but also informational, economic, and political in nature. The key issue is making the choice of values. From this perspective, the war has long since crossed the borders of the EU," Matviychuk emphasized.

According to the human rights defender, the main task of opinion leaders is to convey to Europeans that prioritizing their consumer needs and purchasing power could lead to the loss of both democracy and civil rights.

"If people value not being hungry above all else and are willing to trade their rights and freedoms for that, eventually, they will find themselves in a situation where they won't even have the right to say they're hungry. In countries with at least a relatively free press and a certain level of democracy, there was never famine. But people often think in simplifications, and it's the role of public intellectuals to help them understand this," the Nobel laureate explained.

Latest political statements of high-ranking officials regarding Ukraine

During his visit to Kyiv on November 10-11, Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, emphasized that supporting Ukraine remains his personal priority throughout his mandate. He assured that this issue would continue to be a central focus on the European Union's agenda.

Additionally, the European Union is working on its fifteenth package of sanctions against Russia, which will strengthen anti-circumvention measures aimed at isolating Russian industry from imports.

Kaja Kallas the candidate for the position of the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, has suggested that the EU should directly use $300 billion of frozen Russian assets to finance the reconstruction of war-torn Ukraine.

Polish President Andrzej Duda also plans to visit the United States, where he intends to meet with the newly elected President Donald Trump to discuss Ukraine.

It should be noted that Hungary has been blocking the disbursement of over 6 billion euros designated for Ukraine in the European Peace Fund for more than a year. On October 10, the EU High Representative presented a regulatory proposal to EU foreign ministers aimed at overcoming Hungary's "veto" and unlocking these funds, a significant portion of which is intended to support EU member states with military equipment and weapons already delivered to Ukraine.