Why we Need to Change Policy on Ukraine

Remarks to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Second Chamber of the States-General of the Netherlands, 22 January 2025

Chairman,

It was with joy that Forum for Democracy observed the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States last Monday. Trump has won the presidency in spite of an unimaginable amount of obstacles and opposition, including several attacks on his life. 

For that reason alone, heartfelt congratulations are appropriate. They are more than deserved.

Equally, we were pleased to learn of several of his executive orders and policy intentions, including, among many others, his departure from the Paris Climate Agreement and his departure from the World Health Organisation.  Much remains uncertain, but we also warmly welcome the scheduling of peace talks with President Putin of Russia as soon as possible. 

It seems that the disastrous foreign policy of Secretary of War, as he is now called in the New York Times, Tony Blinken, has thus come to an end.

Very hopeful developments, Mr. Chairman.

‘America First’ is the new president's motto. It seems at the moment that Europe is somewhat less in the spotlight with the new US administration than we have been used to. Talks with Russia may initially take place entirely without us.  Directions are being charted in which the European Union has only a limited voice. The same could be true of NATO.

The connection and consensus with the United States where foreign policy is concerned, hitherto taken for granted within the EU and NATO, could be in serious jeopardy. Many signs point to this.

Particularly where policy towards Russia is concerned, it could well be that the US side will change tack rather quickly and Europe will be left to sort things out with Ukraine. I have pointed this out in previous debates.

As is well known, Forum for Democracy has never agreed with EU and NATO policy towards Ukraine and Russia. We have always believed that the conflict situation has been provoked by the West over the years and deliberately stoked in recent years. And also that the idea that Russia can be brought to its knees via Ukraine is based on a dangerous illusion.

Chairman, we should not make the mistake of assuming that even without the United States, we should continue the anti-Russian policy of the last few years unchanged. With this, Russia was and is hardly affected, and Ukraine itself and European countries are the main victims. Ukraine is now a torn and partly destroyed country with hundreds of thousands of victims. The other European countries are economically affected and militarily weakened. The same applies to the Netherlands.

For European countries, and thus also for us, it is now high time for profound reflection. More than ever, it is becoming necessary to set our own direction and stop being primarily an extension of the old US Tony Blinken foreign policy.

Without the large-scale support of the United States, continuing in the existing direction could have disastrous consequences for Europe. This would be economic and military suicide.

Already, the almost unlimited support to Ukraine is having major negative effects on our country, both on the balance of spending and on energy prices.

Moreover, this policy has fundamentally damaged our relationship with what is by far the biggest country on our continent?  That relationship can now only ever recover in the very long term.

We would welcome it if the minister would convey this sound of ‘Realpolitik’ in the European context and support the objections of Slovakia, among others, to yet another sanctions package, anticipating the changing US stance on this issue.

I would like to hear the minister's view on this.