The heads of foreign ministries of seven European countries published a joint article in the American publication The New York Times entitled “Lessons from World War II to Prevent World War III.” This was the idea of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, who was supported by colleagues from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
Points of attention
- Impunity breeds future crimes; accountability is essential for preventing atrocities.
- Historical manipulations must be corrected for a democratic society's resilience.
- Freedom must be better armed than tyranny to ensure defense self-sufficiency.
What needs to be done to prevent World War III
The foreign ministers of seven European countries are drawing the world's attention to the fact that Russia has no right to monopolize the victory over Nazism, which was won by many nations and peoples.
Even the Red Army was multinational, with at least six million Ukrainians fighting in its ranks. Instead of honoring the memory of the victims of World War II, Mr. Putin's regime has created an ugly cult of victory, using the collective victory over the Nazis to justify its current aggression and atrocities against Ukrainians.
European diplomats also emphasize that the May 9 parade, which takes place every year in Moscow, is another element of glorifying this cult.
5 main lessons of World War II:
1. Appeasing the aggressor leads to more aggression, not peace.
Diplomats recall that it was the division of Czechoslovakia in 1938 that pushed Nazi Germany into a global war.
Having learned this lesson, Ukraine will never accept the legitimization of Russia's occupation and annexation of any part of Ukraine's territory, the article says.
2. Spheres of influence never bring peace and stability
It is no secret that World War II broke out when Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, a week after the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and its secret protocols between the USSR and the Third Reich, which agreed to the division of Poland, the Baltic states, and the rest of Europe.
Our principled position is that no third country has the right to veto the choice of alliances and alliances by Ukraine or any other country, European diplomats emphasize.
3. Impunity breeds future crimes
As the Foreign Ministers note, unlike Soviet crimes, Nazi crimes were widely exposed, condemned, investigated and prosecuted in court.
Soviet crimes must be properly condemned, in particular those committed during the Soviet occupation of Europe after World War II… This case highlights the importance of accountability for Russia’s current crimes, particularly after the impending fall of the Putin regime.
4. Historical manipulations must be corrected.
European diplomats draw attention to the fact that only a true assessment and a deep understanding of history form the basis of a democratic society’s resilience.
5. Freedom must be better armed than tyranny
Against this backdrop, the Foreign Ministers recalled the words of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky:
Ukraine will never accept any restrictions on its armed forces, defense capabilities or defense assistance. Instead, Kyiv is working to expand defense industry production and achieve defense self-sufficiency.
