“The long-range goal is a general European peace arrangement, the first requirement of which is the withdrawal of all Russian soldiers from all Ukrainian territory.”
“Democracies act late, but once they act, they cannot be stopped. The F-16 deliveries tell us that the war is about to enter its middle phase. It will end, where it began – in Moscow.”
Vienna
It is one of those rare occasions, about which I feel proud. I can be happy or sad, but pride I distrust. It often occurs at the expense of others, who may have tried their best without winning, e.g. a football match, a singing contest, or a bicycle race. I like to see the Danish flag, called the Dannebrog, flying over our public buildings or the small cabins of the summer country, this year in many places accompanied by the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine. Banner-carrying marches on our streets and squares put me off. They remind me of the 20th century, of tyranny and manipulated masses, of extermination camps, and of two world wars.
And then Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears in Denmark, unannounced in the sense that no one outside a narrow circle around the government, the security organs, and the military has any advance knowledge of the visit. It is a successful theatrical coup, a memorable performance.
I heard about Zelenskyy’s visit on a scorching Sunday in Austria. I was moved and a little proud of my country. There were the prime minister, the foreign minister, and the defense minister, representing three different, but cooperating political parties, telling their Ukrainian guest that Denmark will soon hand more than dozen [19 fighters – ed.] of its F-16 fighters to his struggling country.
This decision is right and good, a solid Danish contribution to the existential fight of a sovereign European nation. Democratic Denmark shows itself from its best side, with no footnotes and no ulterior motives, just a sincere, concrete, and well-aimed initiative in cooperation with the Netherlands and the US in the role of discreet guarantor. The whole business deserves to be remembered in the history books. Fascist Russia is being told in plain text that for sure the EU and NATO do not think of failing Ukraine. The long-range goal remains a general European peace arrangement, the first requirement of which is the withdrawal of all Russian soldiers from all Ukrainian territory.
Is such an arrangement on the table with Vladimir Putin in power in the Kremlin? For the moment everything seems to go wrong in his hands. The economy is melting down to the size of Italy´s as a result of the colossal military spending and Western sanctions. The Russian armies in Ukraine are in retreat. Recently, the so-called Wagner militia rebelled. Several leading generals have disappeared. Putin, internationally wanted for war crimes, cannot travel to the G-20 meeting in South Africa and the UN General Assembly in New York. With the Luna-25 project, he wanted to restore his prestige. The attempt ended in disaster, when the spacecraft crashed on the Moon. How long time can Putin last? Increasingly the gangsters around him must suspect that the chief-gangster is leading them into trouble and possible ruin and plan his removal.
In half a year’s time, the F-16 fighters are expected to be flying above Ukraine. They will help the Ukrainians to regain at least partial control of their airspace and thus protecting their cities. They will also provide the ground troops with air support, enabling the intensification of the already running and in many respects well-running offensive. We see the end of the beginning. Ahead lies a long, tough campaign, which must – with Western assistance: more weapons, more ammunition, no hesitation – bring Ukraine to the point, where Ukraine can move from survival to victory.
A drop of wormwood must be added to the beautifully mixed international cocktail. Had Ukraine from the beginning been supplied with heavy tanks, long-range missiles, and advanced fighter planes, the war would probably have been over by now. We would have avoided about half a million killed and maimed, and the massive destruction of Ukraine´s infrastructure, a loss which is currently estimated at around 500 billion euros.
It’s the old story. Democracies act late, but once they act, they cannot be stopped. The F-16 deliveries tell us all, also the Russians, that the war is about to enter its middle phase. It will end, where it began – in Moscow.
Author: Per Nyholm
Danish journalist since 1960, based in Austria, columnist and foreign correspondent at the liberal Danish daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten. This text was translated and adapted for The Ukrainian Review by Stanislav Kinka.
Per Nyholm´s latest book, “Journeys in the Land of Blood” (Barcelona and Copenhagen, 2023), is freely available to any serious Ukrainian publisher, who might want to publish it.
