Eastern European Foreign Ministers: Learn From World War II to Prevent Another Global War
On the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, the foreign ministers of seven nations have issued a stark warning to the international community: without urgent lessons from the past, the world risks repeating its gravest mistakes.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to The New York Times.
The top diplomats drew direct parallels between the failures of pre-WWII appeasement and today’s wavering responses to Russia’s aggression. They argue that Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine has upended the postwar security architecture and revived patterns of imperialism that Europe swore to consign to history.
“Appeasement emboldens the aggressor, it never guarantees peace,” the ministers wrote, recalling how the 1938 Munich Agreement only whetted Nazi Germany’s appetite. Likewise, any legitimization of Russia’s annexations, they warned, would pave the way for further conflict, not compromise.
The essay, signed by Jan Lipavský (Czech Republic), Margus Tsahkna (Estonia), Baiba Braže (Latvia), Kęstutis Budrys (Lithuania), Mihai Popșoi (Moldova), Radosław Sikorski (Poland), and Andrii Sybiha (Ukraine), lays out five key lessons from World War II that should guide modern policymaking.
1. No to appeasement
The ministers reject any peace plan that involves territorial concessions from Ukraine, insisting that durable security must rest on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
2. No to spheres of influence
They denounce the legacy of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the Yalta Conference, which divided Europe into zones of control and condemned half the continent to Soviet domination. “Europe must never return to a world where great powers decide the fate of smaller nations,” they declared.
3. Demand accountability
While Nazi atrocities were exposed and prosecuted, Soviet crimes, including mass deportations, executions, and the Holodomor famine, remain insufficiently addressed. The authors urge a full reckoning with Stalinist terror, arguing that Russia’s impunity has fueled its modern revanchism.
4. Correct the historical narrative
The ministers criticize Russia’s monopolization of the WWII victory narrative and its transformation into a cult of militarized triumphalism. They stress that the Red Army included millions of non-Russian soldiers, especially Ukrainians, and that commemorations must reflect the true, multinational history of the war.
5. Arm freedom
Echoing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call to “arm freedom better than tyranny,” the authors argue that Ukraine must not be subject to defense restrictions. On the contrary, a secure Europe depends on Kyiv’s ability to defend itself and deter future aggression.
Their joint statement reflects the collective memory of nations and the resolve to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself. “Never again,” they write, “must not become an empty phrase.”
Read more on The Gaze: What lies behind Putin’s second so-called ceasefire