Ukraine does not need a 'lecture on democracy,' Nobel Peace Prize laureate tells Euronews

Ukraine does not need lessons about democracy, Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk told Euronews in an interview, rejecting the Trump administration's claims that authorities in Kyiv are using the war as an excuse to avoid an election.

"We don't need to be lectured on elections," she told Euronews in an interview on Thursday. "In 2004, Ukrainians organised the Orange Revolution after the electoral process was stolen. We value elections. The question is whether we have security to organise them."

US President Donald Trump said this week that Ukraine "is on the point of where it's not a democracy anymore" and repeated his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, arguing that his government is using the war to avoid calling a vote.

Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly said they support a new ballot, which would test the popularity of Zelenskyy and his management of the war effort and peace talks, but point to the logistical complications of doing so while the country is being attacked daily by missiles and drones while soldiers with a right to vote remain deployed on the frontline.

Ukraine was slated to hold a ballot in 2024, but it ultimately could not go ahead. Martial law has been in place since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Nonetheless, the Trump administration is pushing for a prompt Ukrainian election to be written into any peace deal.

To facilitate talks at a delicate time for Kyiv, Zelenskyy said this week he is "ready for elections" and dismissed suggestions that he is using the war as an excuse to prevent the vote and stay in office as "frankly, a completely absurd story".

On Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he would soon present more "refined documents" to the US alongside European partners to end the war. Trump suggested he could travel to Europe this week to take a meeting. Matviichuk argued the key point will be defined, well-developed security guarantees to prevent future aggression.

Speaking to Euronews, Matviichuk, whose Centre for Civil Liberties was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 together with Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski and the Russian human rights group Memorial for its work reporting alleged war crimes, added that justice must be served for the atrocities committed by the Russian army in Ukraine.

She also argued any deal must lead to a sustained, fair peace, and not just a pause for Russia to regroup and attack again.

"Will it contain new, severe security guarantees that will make Putin understand that it is impossible for to him to occupy and destroy the whole of Ukraine?" she said.

Asked if Trump is deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize, which the US president is campaigning for and she is a recipient of, Matviichuk said she can "only wish him success, because that would mean he established a just and sustainable peace".