Ukraine can make NATO stronger, and this has already been proven on the battlefield – the Nobel Peace Prize laureate

Ukraine faced an unprecedented scale of crimes committed by Russia, and all the international organizations called to ensure peace could not stop it.

This was stated by Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Laureate in 2022 at the 15^th annual Kyiv Security Forum, established by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s “Open Ukraine” Foundation.

“There is no justification for Russia’s actions. They force people to hide in basements. There is no reason to shoot at civilians who peacefully cycling along a street, or to break into homes and rape a woman right in front of her child’s eyes,” she said.

“There is no justification for shooting a fourteen-year-old playing in s yard. There is no military sense in these actions. Nevertheless, Russia keeps doing this, and this wave of horror engulfs Ukraine. This is the result of impunity for Russia’s deeds in Chechnya, Libya, Syria, Mali, Georgia and other countries. They went unpunished, and they decided they can do what they want,” the human rights activist emphasized.

She emphasized that this should be stopped not only for the sake of Ukrainians, but for the sake of other peoples who may become the future victims of Russian aggression.

“It is necessary to bring Putin and his entourage to justice for crimes and aggression. These crimes are well documented, they stem from the decisions of Putin and Russian top leadership. Therefore, we should set up a special tribunal to bring them to justice,” Oleksandra Matviichuk stressed.

She also added that as long as Ukraine is vulnerable, the entire European security system remains just as vulnerable.

"Instead of NATO membership, some politicians promise to grant us certain security assurances and guarantees, but this is disproportional to Article 5 of the NATO Charter,” Ms Matviychuk said.

“Ukraine can make NATO stronger, and the start of Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance will mark the commencement of sustained security and peace in Europe,” the Nobel laureate emphasized.

Noteworthy, the 15^th annual Kyiv security forum “For Our and Your Freedom/ Fighting for NATO” will be held on May 25-26, 2023, with the participation of well-known international figures. In particular, at the Forum, the KSF Security Council will be established and a policy document will be adopted with recommendations for the NATO summit in Vilnius to be held this July.