‘Ukraine is paying the highest price to return home to European values,' Oleksandra Matviichuk says

Published on 19/05/2026 - 14:10 GMT+2

“For 3 centuries, we were successful (the) shadiness of Russian Empire. And I’m present to say, Europe, we are back,” Ukrainian quality rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk declared arsenic she received the European Order of Merit successful the European Parliament successful Strasbourg connected Tuesday.

Visibly emotional, Matviichuk said Ukraine is “returning location to European values.”

“We are paying the highest terms for this.”

The caput of the Centre for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, Matviichuk is among the archetypal European Order of Merit laureates. She has been recognised for her “significant publication to European integration and the promotion and defence of European values”.

Inn her code to the European parliament, she besides issued a stark warning, arguing that Russian president Vladimir Putin started Moscow’s full-scale penetration for reasons that spell good beyond Ukraine itself.

“He sees Ukraine arsenic a span to Europe," she said. "His logic is historical, and that is wherefore radical successful different European countries, they are harmless lone due to the fact that Ukrainians are inactive resisting and don’t fto (the) Russian service determination further.”

This, she said, is “why Ukraine is an integral portion of European security”.

“The planetary tempest is approaching,” Matviichuk told MEPs and chap Order of Merit laureates, with erstwhile German Chancellor Angela Merkel and erstwhile Polish president and Solidarność person Lech Wałęsa besides present.

“The satellite bid based UN Charter and planetary instrumentality has collapsed. These melodramatic times trial each of us."

“Europe is little astir geography, but much astir values. Europe indispensable support state and democracy, due to the fact that lone readiness to support our values defines the nine that has a future.”