Your benefit performance is called ‘Writers for Ukraine’. What will you be doing? “We are going to perform with a large group: Tommy Wieringa and myself, Jelle Brandt Corstius, Olaf Koens, and Mart de Kruif, the former General. And with Khristina, a young Dutch woman who is a combat medic in Kharkiv.”
But what, specifically, will you be doing? “We will each take turns sharing stories about the war in Ukraine, and we will show images. We have all been there ourselves. I have been there eleven times since the start of the full-scale invasion. Tommy has been about seven times. We will share what we see and hear there, and explain why we believe it is incredibly important that Europe and the Netherlands start providing real help to the Ukrainians, instead of the half-hearted assistance they are currently receiving.”
What do you mean by ‘real’ help? “Well, if Europe were to dedicate 0.5 percent of its Gross Domestic Product to aid for Ukraine, they could win that war against Russia in three years. If Ukraine loses to Russia, we are all truly in trouble. It’s a simple calculation: Europe has 80 brigades, Ukraine has 110, and Russia has 220. If Russia absorbs Ukraine, they will have 330 brigades against our 80. Europe would simply be at Russia’s mercy.”
There are currently talks between Russia and the United States to end the war. Should we be pleased about that? “No, [Donald] Trump just wants to exploit the situation for his own gain. He wants all of Ukraine’s metals for himself and his friends. He won’t offer any aid or security whatsoever. That is not going to happen. Ukraine will never agree to that. And Russia will never stop this war as long as it continues to make progress.
The only thing we must take seriously is that America is essentially signaling that it will no longer protect Europe. Europe must draw consequences from that, because we are all asleep at the wheel. I have lived in Eastern Europe for more than twenty years and I understand how dangerous the Russians are. But here, we think that if we just keep drifting along in our little boat and don’t think about anything, everything will turn out fine. I am afraid that is simply not the case.”
Image: https://rubryka.com/en/
