Dear members, colleagues, friends, and partners of CESI,

“We, the members of the Presidium of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI), strongly and firmly condemn the unprovoked Russian attack on Ukraine; an aggression which cannot be justified by any means. The attack is an unprecedented breach of international law and treaties. It violates the basic principles of the UN Charter, and it crushes the most fundamental principle inherent to the diligent exercise of leadership: the preservation of peace.”

Yes, Putin has failed Ukraine, he has failed Russia, and he has failed the entire world.

His power, his regime is not only built on increasingly brutal oppression, but also on blatant lies. The more blatant, the better. There is war in Europe. It is an act of aggression against Ukraine. It is not a ‘special military operation’ of ‘denazification’ – starting with the fact that Ukrainian President Selenskyj is of Jewish descent himself.

Authoritarian leaders seem to have a particular inclination (and interest) to perpetuate myths. In the absence of any contradiction, they can create new narratives based on blatant lies. And start believing them themselves – to their own detriment. But does it matter? Does lying change anything?

War has almost always been started based on a myth, with a story, mostly a lie: “This night regular Polish soldiers fired on our territory for the first time. We have been returning the fire since 5.45AM, and from now on bombs will be met by bombs.” Does this sound familiar to you?

This is Hitler’s address to the Reichstag on September 1, 1939, following which Germany invaded Poland. At the time, most Germans believed Hitler. They believed that Poland was responsible for the animosity. Inebriated by a feeling of injustice (Versailles) and revenge, they felt that it was time to show the world who the Germans really were.

Today, the assumption is not totally far-fetched that Russia´s war is probably felt as a justified act of self-defence by large parts of the Russian population. And we can assume that proving this justification wrong would not change anything. Because humans are inclined to believe what confirms their prior beliefs. “The chilling truth is that tens of millions of Russians readily accept the Orwellian lies promoted by Kremlin TV and share the sentiments expressed by the country’s pro-war cheerleaders.”

And a recent report from the European Parliament´s Research Service on the effectiveness of Western sanctions against Russia comes to the conclusion that “public opinion in sanctioned countries tends to ‘rally around the flag’ in defiance of international pressure.”

Meanwhile our (Russian and Western) views collide to an extent that probably nothing will make us change our minds (except perhaps a shift or change in the Russian power game). As a ‘New York Times’ commentator recently wrote, “we are all living in Vladimir Putin´s world now”. Propaganda meets propaganda, sanctions meet sanctions, threats meet threats, and slander meets slander.

It will not be easy to pick up the pieces once this conflict is over (and hopefully it will end). The truth, however, which overshadows all narratives is the fact that the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians is either willing to resist or seeks protection – in the West.

After the fall of the Iron Curtain, democracies and liberalism were on the winning side. American economist Francis Fukuyama famously prophesised in 1992 that the “universalisation of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government marks the end of history as such.”

The current situation tells a different story, and the willingness to defend democracies in times of abundance (and external threats) has unfortunately dwindled tragically in the past two decades.

Yet as democracy and self-determination have become scarce goods, the demand for them appears to have increased tremendously. The incredibly brave fight of the Ukrainian people is a more than impressive demonstration of it.

It is hence an ethical imperative to defend freedom, democracy, the rule of law, human dignity, and rights, and not least our multilateral liberal world order; to tackle the challenges of humanity, and not be subject to the bullying of the stronger one.

Yet, as the EU leaders are currently united in Versailles, their choices are not easy. Because they (and we) know, there is also a hefty price to pay.

Firstly, there is the risk of escalation and a further massive increase of loss of human lives, humanitarian disasters, an unprecedented migration crisis, and even of a nuclear conflict.

Secondly, facing war, sanctions, energy supply shortcomings and not least independence from Russian fossil fuels are enormous challenges for our economies and our wealth, and may even put a brake to the aims of greenhouse gas emission reduction and climate protection.

Thirdly, economic recession, increased military spending, support for Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees, etc, will reduce the fiscal spaces that are needed especially in the Covid aftermath. Spaces required for fair transitions, public infrastructure, public services, and support to the most vulnerable. “The money that should go to teachers, nurses and social workers would instead go to tanks, missiles, and cyber weapons”, historian Yuval Noah Harari recently wrote.

Fourthly, in times of crises (and the current war may even overshadow the Corona pandemic – in addition to reinforcing it), workers and the most vulnerable stand to lose, be they Ukrainians, Russia, German, French, Italian or Polish; as a trade unionist, a heavy price to pay.

And finally, we are painfully realising that – while the coronavirus mainly posed a threat to the older generation-  our main worries in war times concern our children. Something that makes us particularly vulnerable, easy to manipulate, and very predictable.

These are significant consequences. They will require determination, perseverance, stamina, courage, and not least the ability to take clear decisions; decisions, the consequences of which cannot be predicted, especially not these days.

We are facing a “turn of eras (‘Zeitenwende’) in the history of our continent”, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared in his recent government statement. Unprecedented upheavals that will require a new thinking, the breaking of many taboos, and the reversing of previous trends and policies, which until February 24^th seemed to be carved in stone.

What gives me comfort is that, since WWII, the world´s liberal democracies have never been more united and ready to stand for what matters to us – and that must include Ukraine.

#StandWithUkraine