1. In response to Trump’s position regarding Ukraine and NATO, concrete plans are being made to ’rearm’ Europe, vastly expand European armies and prepare the population for war – including in Western Europe. This development is very concerning, and the arguments put forward for it are incorrect and hypocritical.

2. ’Security’ is the banner under which the militarisation of Europe is being implemented. However, the security of the European population is primarily threatened by the ecological crisis, which is already causing hundreds of deaths and enormous damage in Europe and will lead to even more serious disasters in the coming years, and by the dismantling of social and medical provisions, resulting in increased poverty, food insecurity and (epidemic) diseases, with a new pandemic being far from unlikely.

3. The current call for ’rearmament’ of Europe has, much more than with the defence of Ukraine (for which sufficient weapons are available), to do with the attempt to establish Europe as an independent geopolitical player with the disappearance of the US as an ally, and to give the European (military) industry full momentum at the expense of the economic and social achievements of the working class.

4. The reasoning that the conflict in Ukraine is about defending ’Western democratic values’ is nonsensical. Europe’s support for and complicity in the genocide in Gaza once again clearly demonstrates how hypocritical these Western values are. The real threat to freedom and democratic achievements in the West comes not from Russia (or China) but from Trump, Le Pen, Wilders, etc., and from the parties that collaborate with them and provide them with backing.

5. Trump’s ’make America great again’ finds its counterpart in Putin’s pursuit of restoring a great and strong Russia. Just as Trump covets Greenland, Panama and Canada, Putin strives to bring as much as possible of the former Tsarist empire back under Russian control. And he is willing to deploy enormous military might and sacrifice the lives of many hundreds of thousands of soldiers (particularly from ethnic and cultural minorities in the Russian Federation and foreign mercenaries, including North Koreans), alongside, of course, the enormous destruction and the tremendous number of casualties on the Ukrainian side.

6. Russia is attempting to destabilise Western countries supporting Ukraine through hybrid forms of warfare (disinformation campaigns, cyber attacks, support for the far right, etc.), to strengthen pro-Russian political forces, and to bring Russia-friendly governments to power. However, it is incorrect to claim that Putin is aiming for a military attack on Western Europe or would even be capable of doing so. (In three years of war, Russia has not managed to conquer more than about a fifth of Ukraine’s territory, and European armies and their armaments are completely superior to what Russia can mobilise.)

7. The war in Ukraine concerns the defence of Ukraine’s sovereignty against Russia’s murderous imperialist attack. We defend Ukraine unconditionally, just as we defend, for example, the Palestinians (and Lebanon and Syria) against Israel’s murderous attacks. And just as we also defend the right to self-determination and sovereignty of the people of Greenland, Panama and Canada, as well as Taiwan and any other country.

8. The fact that Ukraine, despite the heroic struggle of its inhabitants, has not been able to completely stop the Russian invaders and drive them from its territory is not because there were insufficient Western weapons, but because the West gave Ukraine just enough weapons to continue fighting, but not enough to undo the Russian invasion. To be able to continue defending itself against the fascist Putin and in the interest of peace in Europe, Ukraine should therefore receive all the weapons they need. Ukraine’s debts should be forgiven. And the frozen Russian assets worth 160 billion euros should be made available for the defence and reconstruction of Ukraine.

9. It is incredible and unacceptable to see how now (just as during the corona pandemic) all sorts of measures are possible and permitted (enormous shifts in state budgets, abandonment of European budgetary rules, adjustment of all kinds of regulations, etc.) that were not and are not being taken in the context of the fight against the climate crisis, and how – under the guise of fighting against an imaginary threat (a Russian attack on Western Europe) – measures against the all too real threat of the climate crisis are absent or even being reversed.

10. It is important that the left takes a clear position with respect to ’rearmament’. This position must combine several elements: 1. An unconditional defence of Ukraine and of Ukraine’s right to have the weapons necessary for defence against Russian aggression; 2. A clear rejection of the reasoning that ’rearmament’ is necessary to defend ’free Western values’; 3. A condemnation of arms supplies and any form of political and military support to countries that threaten and attack other countries and peoples, such as Israel; 4. A defence of the social rights and economic achievements of the working class and an adequate climate policy.

11. A general pacifist attitude: rejection of all arms supplies and military support (including to Ukraine) only leads to accepting the right of the strongest, and encourages further military aggression. We cannot simply advocate for peace as a state in which there is no longer ongoing armed conflict between two parties. Real sustainable and just peace is only possible if there is freedom and democratic self-determination. A leftist peace policy works towards peace by supporting the struggle for freedom and self-determination.

12. Although we recognise the right of countries in Eastern and Northern Europe to join NATO, there is every reason to continue advocating for the dissolution of NATO and other military blocs and their replacement with a more comprehensive security structure. There is also every reason to protest against the extravagantly expensive NATO summit in The Hague.

13. Instead of ensuring that the profits of the arms industry are driven to unprecedented heights, that industry should be nationalised and placed under democratic control. Arms supplies to reactionary regimes, such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, India, etc., should be stopped immediately, and the available weapons should be supplied to Ukraine.

14. The current state of affairs whereby far-reaching decisions that affect the lives and wellbeing of hundreds of millions of Europeans are made in the undemocratic European Union – without the population having any say in them – once again highlights the necessity of replacing the EU with democratic European institutions in which not the interests of business and the protection of free market operations, but the life and wellbeing of the population are central.

15. We stand for a truly secure policy that does not start from the interests of business and free market operations, but in which the interests of citizens are central. The greatest threat to security is posed by the climate crisis, which is the result of a society and economy that ultimately revolves around corporate profits and the interests of capital owners. Therefore, we fight for an anti-capitalist ecosocialist alternative. In doing so, we always stand on the side of the exploited and oppressed and fight for democracy and self-determination, against militarism and for true sustainable peace. Against the ’rearmament’ of Europe.

Grenzeloos

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