Jacob L. Ruggaard, Per Clausen
Europe is surrounded by offensive, right-wing radical superpowers with Russia on one side and the USA on the other. There are no other solutions than for Europe and the Nordic countries to come closer together. But it is also an opportunity for the left – because Europe's security must also be ensured through freer, greener, more equal and secure societies. This is what Jakob Lindell Ruggaard and Per Clausen write in this opinion piece.
Donald Trump has sold Ukraine to Vladimir Putin. Over the heads of Ukrainians. Over the heads of Europe. It is a dark day for Ukrainians. It paints a grim outlook for security in Europe. And places new demands on the left.
After a long telephone conversation last week – which both Trump and Putin confirm has been "extremely productive" – Trump would call and inform the Ukrainians of the result, and that the "peace process" in Ukraine is now underway. On Tuesday, negotiations between Russia and the USA are expected to begin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
It is – for the Ukrainians – a dirty peace process with their arm tied behind their back.
The right-wing radical superpower leaders dictate peace
At the same time, Trump's Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, states that the peace negotiations cannot end with Ukraine keeping all their territory, cannot end with Ukraine joining NATO, that the USA will not send troops to any future peacekeeping force, and that Europe in future will take over (most of) the responsibility for supporting Ukraine.
It is, to put it mildly, no help for Ukraine that the USA is abandoning a number of negotiating positions that are either absolutely central or ultimate for the Ukrainians, but which in return anticipate virtually every strategic goal for the Putin regime.
The whole performance looks more like a proposal for a joint dictate from the two right-wing radical state leaders, Putin and Trump, who respect each other so highly – on how to gratuitously and in advance accommodate a number of Putin's key strategic goals with the cruel invasion.
And it all happens over the heads of the Ukrainians and Europe.
First and foremost, it is unbearable if it means that large parts of Ukraine are consigned to annexation and oppression by Putin's Russia. We have seen how the Ukrainian civilian population has been mercilessly and cruelly treated by Russian forces in areas such as Bucha, where the Russians have been forced into a hasty retreat without the opportunity to "clean up" first.
Brutal oppression may now become the fate of many more Ukrainian civilians.
Bad news for Europe
But at the same time, Trump's kowtowing to Putin is also serious news for the rest of Europe, which according to Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has no role in the negotiations because they support the Ukrainian resistance. The situation is particularly dangerous for countries that are in Russia's vicinity and in Putin's sights. Countries such as Georgia, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The result of the deal between Trump and Putin is a significantly less secure and predictable Europe. This applies to all of us.
We will be left with a Russia with ideological plans to re-establish a "Greater Russia", which was a central part of Putin's motivation for entering Ukraine. A Russia which, through the war, has built up rapid supply lines, spends over 7 percent of their GDP on the military, has a very large mobilisation to their army, which will no longer be held back in Ukraine, and an economy that has been converted to a full-blown war economy.
Against this backdrop, they can now build up and prepare for coming offensives based on the new (important) territories in Ukraine and with a major military and strategic (propaganda) victory in their pocket.
This is the dangerous reality that is emerging now. A new reality that has been on its way for a long time, but which is now impossible to close our eyes to. This also applies to the left.
Important insights for the left
For a long time, the left has – sensibly – been able to focus on aid and support for Ukraine's freedom struggle. Reconstruction, emergency aid and plenty of necessary weapons, ammunition, artillery, air force and much more. It has helped ensure that Ukraine is not Russian today. It has been the morally and politically right thing to do.
If Ukraine had driven Putin's troops all the way back and won the war, or decisively broken the Russian economy, then the world might have looked different.
But when we suddenly – and it can happen quickly – are faced with a dirty "peace", which is dictated by right-wing radical superpowers, it requires new, more offensive answers from us on the left. We need to ask ourselves: How do we ensure that we cannot again be driven around in the circus ring by imperialist superpowers?
Here we must realise that if we want to win that possibility for security policy autonomy, it requires investments. In our security. In the military. Also in weapons and military production in Europe, the Nordic countries, Denmark. So we can make ourselves independent of the USA and their capricious and hostile dictates. Something that the left – rightly – has long advocated for, but which we have not had a policy that in practice could enable.
This insight has been reached by other of our sister parties. Among others, the Red Party in Norway, which advocates high and carefully considered defence spending, precisely because it ensures Norway greater autonomy from the USA.
Our criticism on the Danish left of the imperialist USA is confirmed again and again by reality in these years. In these days. We are being proven right – at an almost breathtaking pace. One can just listen through Vice President J.D. Vance's speech from the weekend's summit in Munich, if one wants insight into the fact that we are facing a right-wing radical USA with an offensive ideological agenda about – together with its oligarchic rich friends – conquering Europe country by country.
Now is the time for the left to formulate a policy that clearly shows the way to what a left-wing future out of the USA's shadow can really look like. It is imperative if we are to be able to take – and win – the fight for the future in the years to come.
Surrounded by imperialist superpowers
First and foremost, we must face the fact that we are surrounded by imperialist superpowers with annexation plans and territorial expansion ambitions. Trump's USA currently has its eyes firmly fixed on Greenland, Canada and Panama. One must take their wishes for expansion quite literally, if one is not to risk standing naive and unprepared. Putin's Russia has its eyes on Moldova, Georgia and the Baltic states.
This does not mean that a major war in Europe or other doomsday scenarios are imminent. But it does mean that Europe – which cannot count on security policy support from the USA – stands much weaker strategically and militarily and will therefore be inclined to show much more compliance with superpower dictates, which are in direct conflict with international law.
Ultimately, it may mean that Putin will subjugate other countries. Because we do not have the strength to support their resistance.
Similarly, it can mean more compliance with the USA and their imperial superpower ambitions, which are aired openly by Trump in tweets and "truths" on TruthSocial and freely in front of cameras and a gaping public.
One can also interject that our weak military strength, autonomy and cooperation in Denmark, the Nordic countries and Europe has not helped in the past, when it has come to refusing to follow the USA into illegal, all-destructive invasion wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, among others.
The good news is that we stand in a unique position to choose a different path.
The left's political response – a new defence policy
There is no other sensible answer than a closer and deeper cooperation in the Nordic countries and Europe. Also militarily. Also on weapons and ammunition production. We stand stronger if we offensively bind the Nordic countries closer together in foreign and security policy, so we are a stronger and heavier bloc in Europe. And if Europe to a much greater extent as a whole can make itself independent of the USA and billion-dollar purchases in the American arms industry.
It requires a choice. And a prioritisation.
The situation gives us the opportunity to maintain and expand our freedom and autonomy. To get the size and strength to defy the superpowers. And to win a future where we can (in the (long) term) pursue a left-wing, independent foreign policy, which is not dictated by superpowers and their unsavoury and cynical power considerations. Where we in Denmark, the Nordic countries and Europe can say no to all future war participations in the USA's service, maintain support for Ukraine in the USA's absence, help other countries and peoples against future threats and annexations, defend ourselves.
It requires offensive demands on the way the military industry functions. We must combat all European exports to regimes such as Israel, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which Europe currently exports massively to – instead of helping Ukraine and building up our own defence capabilities.
It is both wrong and criminal to spend billions on helping such regimes oppress their populations, commit war crimes or maintain illegal occupations instead of using the money and materiel to be able to defend ourselves and help countries like Ukraine in their freedom struggle. This must be stopped. And that fight is a key battle for the left.
We should, of course, also throw all our strength into stopping the dangerous and wrong base agreement with the USA here at home. Under Trump, the USA is clearly acting in a way that threatens our security. Both by airing wishes to buy or annex Greenland. But also by apparently unregulated and unconsidered allowing Putin to build up to the next territorial ambition – based on the victory Trump is giving him in the middle of Europe.
We must also insist that neither employees, climate and welfare are affected by increasing spending on defence and security. On the contrary, we must ensure economic space to create freer, greener, more equal and secure societies – while strengthening our security, cooperation and autonomy. We must find the money offensively by asking the richest – preferably the untamed billionaire class, which is growing forth in the world and in Denmark and threatens our democracies and cohesion – to dig into their pockets.
We have a world to win
In other words, there is a dire need for us socialists in the time we are entering.
Because we are entering a decisive time. We must be able to orient ourselves freely and independently of the USA and Russia. Show a perspective of more independence, security and autonomy for people. Win a future out of the shadow of the superpowers. Draw our own path in the world. Fight for a world order where freedom, solidarity and international law and order trump the oppression and dictates of superpowers. Let redistribution ensure that we make Denmark and the world more equal, just and secure meanwhile.
We can do this if we as the left seize the opportunity now and prioritise correctly politically. And dare to go offensively into the coming time with real answers.
We must recognise that we stand in a unique situation to break free from superpowers' dictatorial policies. Where we can fight for democracy and, in the long term, also peace and détente, if we expand cooperation in the Nordic countries and Europe and invest in our capacities – also in military, weapons and strategic production – now.
We have a world to win. This week it became a little darker. We can make it brighter together.