Open letter Europe’s Moment of Truth An appeal to support Ukraine with all our strength
In an appeal to the German government and its European partners, numerous public figures from Germany and Europe are calling for a joint effort by European democracies to enable Ukraine to successfully defend itself against Russia’s war of aggression. Any success for Russia’s politics of violence would be a blow to European security. The European democratic project would also be struck at its core.
Ralf Fücks, director of the Center for Liberal Modernity, on the intention behind the appeal: “The war in Ukraine is at a critical stage. The brutal escalation of air strikes against Ukrainian cities is being accompanied by a Russian offensive on all fronts. Putin is counting on a military victory. If American support can no longer be relied upon, the moment of truth comes for Europe: Are we capable of robust political action, or will we let Trump and Putin determine our future?”
The appeal formulates a series of concrete recommendations for action addressed to the German government and its European partners to strengthen Ukraine militarily and politically. These initiatives can be implemented immediately if we muster the political will to do so.
Open letter
Europe’s Moment of Truth
An appeal to support Ukraine with all our strength
The Trump administration’s vacillation on arms aid to Ukraine comes amid a Russian offensive on all fronts and a brutal escalation of the air war against Ukrainian cities.
Air defense alone cannot win a war. But without adequate air defense, the risk of defeat grows. Moreover, halting American supplies of rocket launchers and other weapons systems weakens Ukraine’s fighting power.
Putin will read the signals from Washington as an invitation to continue the war with all his might. By rejecting an unconditional ceasefire, the Russian president has reaffirmed what he wants: to force the whole of Ukraine back under Russian domination. Putin is counting on a military victory. Russia will only be prepared to leave Ukraine in peace when it is in danger of losing the war.
If American policy can no longer be relied upon, the moment of truth has come for Europe. Now we must show whether we can act independently and decisively. Success for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine would pose a massive threat to European security. The democratic project of Europe would also be struck to its core.
The tense situation requires a joint effort by European democracies to ensure Ukraine’s defense. We call on the German government, together with other European governments, to significantly increase and accelerate military aid to Ukraine.
The following steps should be taken immediately:
- Rapid delivery of air defense systems from European stocks to defend against Russian drone and missile attacks.
- As a potential tool of exerting pressure on the Trump administration, European arms purchases in the US could be linked to the release of promised deliveries to Ukraine.
- Purchase of American weapons systems that cannot be replaced by European products in the short term for onward transfer to Ukraine.
- Rapid expansion of the Ukrainian arms industry in cooperation with European companies. Financial aid and guarantees must be increased for this purpose.
- Strengthening the Ukrainian air force with new aircraft, electronic systems, and modern weaponry.
- Immediate award of extensive procurement contracts to the European arms industry with the aim of being able to support Ukraine entirely with European production.
- Last but not least, we must strengthen Ukraine’s ability to destroy Russian arms factories, air bases, and logistical hubs of the Russian army. In addition to drones, this requires long-range guided missiles.
Europe must now throw all its weight behind supporting Ukraine and forcing Russia to make peace.
Signatories
Felix Ackermann, FernUniversität in Hagen (Germany)
Anders Aslund, Economist & author (Sweden)
Marieluise Beck, Senior Fellow, Centre for Liberal Modernity (Germany)
Jan C. Behrends, Professor, Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History (Potsdam, Germany)
Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Publicist, former Member of the European Parliament (Germany)
Franziska Davies, Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History (Potsdam, Germany)
Christian Dietrich, Pastor (Germany)
Sabine Döring, Former State Secretary (Germany)
Thomas Enders, President, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) (Germany)
Sabine Fischer, Expert on Eastern Europe, Berlin
Arndt Freytag von Loringhoven, Former Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Poland
Karsten Friis, Research NUPI‘s Research Group on Security and Defence (Norway)
Ralf Fücks, Managing Director, Centre for Liberal Modernity (Germany)
Gustav Gressel, National Defence Academy (Vienna, Austria)
Paul Grod, President, Ukrainian World Congress (Canada)
Rebecca Harms, Former Member of the European Parliament (Germany)
Pavel Havlicek, Research Fellow, Association for International Affairs (AMO) (Czech Republic)
Patrick Heinemann, Lawyer (Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany)
Toomas Hendrik, Ilves, Former President of Estonia
Henning Hoppe, Professor of Solid State Chemistry, University of Augsburg (Germany)
Pavlo Klimkin, Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister
Gerd Koenen, Publicist (Germany)
Wojciech Kononczuk, Director of the Warsaw Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) (Poland)
Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk, Historian (Berlin, Germany)
Jaroslaw Kuisz, „Kultura Liberalna“ (Warsaw) and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Liberal Modernity (Berln)
Dmytro Kuleba, Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lagodinsky, MdEP, The Greens/EFA in the European Parliament
Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, Former Federal Minister of Justice, Deputy Chair of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (Germany)
Wolf Lotter, Publicist (Germany/ Austria)
John Lough, Associate Fellow, Russia & Eurasia Programme, Chatham House (UK)
Edward Lucas, Columnist, The Times (UK)
Orysia Lutsevych, Deputy Director of the Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House (UK)
Marko Martin, Writer (Germany)
Carlo Masala, Chair for International Politics, Bundeswehr University Munich (Germany)
Jörg Mathes
Stefan Meister, German Council on Foreign Relations
Marie Mendras, Professor, Sciences Po Paris (France)
Herta Müller, Writer, Nobel Prize in Literature (Germany)
Kerstin Müller, Former Minister of State (Germany)
Lars Peder Nordbakken, Civita (Norway)
Žygimantas Pavilionis, Foreign Affairs Committee, Lithuanian Parliament
Annette Peter
Ruprecht Polenz, President of the German Association for East European Studies
Eva Quistorp, MEP, theologian, author, Ukraine lobbyist in the European Parliament
Katharina Raabe, Publishing editor (Germany)
Hedwig Richter, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History, Bundeswehr University Munich
Kateryna Rietz-Rakul, Head of the Representative Office of the Ukrainian Institute in Germany
Manfred Sapper, Editor, Editor, Osteuropa, German Association for East European Studies
Gwendolyn Sasse, Scientific Director, Centre for East European and International Studies (Germany)
Irina Scherbakowa, Memorial (Russia / Germany)
Karl Schlögel, Professor emeritus, East European historian (Berlin, Germany
Richard Schröder, Emeritus Professor (Theology) (Germany)
Martin Schulze Wessel, Professor at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Germany)
Roman Schwarzman, Holocaust survivor (Odesa, Ukraine)
Timothy Snyder, Professor at Yale University and the University of Toronto (USA/ Canada)
Corinna Spott
Friede Springer
Oleksandr Sushko, Executive Director, International Renaissance Foundation (Ukraine)
Nicolas Tenzer, Guest professor at Sciences Po Paris (France)
Sebastian Turner
Andreas Umland, Analyst, Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS)
Caroline von Gall, German Association for Eastern European Studies
Barbara von Ow-Freytag, Journalist & expert on Eastern Europe, Russia & Central Asia (Germany)
Karolina Wigura, Kultura Liberalna Foundation, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Liberal Modernity (Poland/Germany)
Guntram Wolff, Professor of Economics at the Solvay Brussels School of Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium
Jan Zielonka, Ralf Dahrendorf Professorial Fellow at St Antony’s College (UK)
Michael Zürn, Political scientist (Germany)
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