European leaders can do more for Ukraine - Matviichuk at Paris Peace Forum

She said this in a commentary to an Ukrinform correspondent on the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum.

"European politicians cannot influence American aid, but I explained that they can influence what is within their control. In particular, I stressed that defending the values of democracy and freedom means doing concrete things," the human rights activist said.

According to her, these are two important areas - completing the creation of a special tribunal on Russian aggression and providing legal support for the transfer of not only proceeds from frozen assets, but also the funds themselves.

“I explained in detail to French Foreign Minister Barrot why this tribunal should be created as an international tribunal, not an internationalized one. Otherwise, it will not be able to overcome the immunity of Putin and the top three criminals, which they have under international law,” Matviichuk said.

She noted that the internationalized status means that the tribunal will operate on the basis of national legislation, but there will be an international element in the form of international judges and prosecutors.

“People who approve decisions need to be aware that the difference between ‘international’ and ‘internationalized’ is actually huge. And leaders have to show political will. Because there is law and there is politics, and there is a discussion between law and politics that delays punishment and postpones the very beginning of the process,” the human rights activist emphasized.

She also recalled that last year an international center for prosecution of the crime of aggression was established. Five countries delegated their prosecutors to it. And the United States of America, although not among the five, also sent its prosecutor.

“This means that when the special tribunal is established, it does not have to start the investigation from scratch. It is already underway, and it is already international,” Matviichuk added.

She noted that another political decision that needs to be made is the confiscation of 300 billion in frozen Russian state assets, the vast majority of which are in Europe.

“It is clear that the entire confiscation process must be conducted in strict accordance with the rule of law. First, there must be a political decision to establish this procedure. This has not yet happened. So when we say that European leaders can do more, we mean concrete steps,” the Nobel Prize winner emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported, Ukrainian human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk at a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for increasing military support for Ukraine.

Photo: Paris Peace Forum