Weapons for Ukraine and negotiations with Russia / JAMnews

Weapons for Ukraine and negotiations with Russia

Iconic Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek shared his views with the BBC Ukrainian Service on peace negotiations with Russia, nuclear weapons for Ukraine and the “cancellation” of Russian culture.

Don't give up Russian culture to Putin

“I don't like when some Ukrainians say: no to Russian culture, we are part of the West. By doing this you allow Putin to present himself as a follower of famous figures like Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, etc. I don't want to allow this for Putin, because Putin is not someone who pits Russian culture against the West. No, Putin is a neo-fascist barbarian!

I don't want to concede too much to Putin. Russian culture has been weaponized. The Bolshoi Theater, the “Russian” ballet, all this became a weapon even under Stalin.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s in the Soviet Union there was debate over who should be officially considered the greatest Russian composer. Stalin insisted: Tchaikovsky.

Tchaikovsky was pro-Tsar and openly anti-Semitic. However, Stalin decided that Tchaikovsky was the one. And he turned it into a weapon. The tragedy is that when they decided to publish Tchaikovsky's texts and letters, they had to censor them. They were filled with anti-feminist and loyalist statements.

When there was an assassination attempt on the emperor in 1880 and Lenin's brother was executed, some revolutionaries were imprisoned. And Tchaikovsky wrote a letter to the Tsar: “No, kill them all, you are too soft. »

On Russian society

“Naive as it may seem, we must recognize that if it turns out that most Russians support Putin, it is because the majority are under the power of terror. They are terrified. Speaking out against Putin is too risky.

Russian society does not actively support [Putin and his policies]. But they tolerate it nonetheless. When Russia achieves some success in the war, it rejoices.

Unfortunately, I have to say that it is the same with Hitler. Hitler only lost support when he started losing the war.

Most of the time, even though they were not active Nazis, the majority of Germans did not simply tolerate Hitler. I would say maybe they supported it, admired the progress.

But I am not naive enough to say, as pseudo-leftists have long claimed, that the majority are innocent. We need to be very clear here. You can't just say, “They're innocent.”

Yes, they are manipulated, but everyone is manipulated. The fact is that people often support something even if they know they are being manipulated.

On Russian threats to use nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons against Ukraine

“A few weeks ago, in an interview with Piers Morgan, I said that Ukraine should receive nuclear weapons. And I was attacked for it, with people saying, 'Are you crazy?' Do you want the end of the world?

But it was a provocation. Not that I seriously meant it. I just wanted to draw attention to that. Everyone jumped on me, accusing me of wanting a nuclear war, saying that we shouldn't disseminate nuclear weapons.

But wait a minute. Putin has already transferred nuclear weapons to Belarus; they are already there. I want to point out that some crazy actions are expected from Putin. He constantly threatens to use nuclear weapons, setting conditions.

So even states that support Ukraine still treat it as a somewhat irresponsible country? As if they couldn't be trusted, that they were too nationalistic, that they might do crazy things.

People talk about Western religious fundamentalism, but do you know what people in Russia are talking about, what you can read and hear in the Russian media? They constantly talk about possible nuclear bombings and even openly expose the conditions.

For example, Putin and others say Russia will have the right to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty is threatened. And then look at how they define their sovereignty. This includes the Donbass region and others.

Their message is: 'If we start losing there, we will have the right to use nuclear bombs.'”

On the possibility of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia

“Putin is a neofascist. Look who Putin supports in the West: those who want to dismantle Europe. Putin supports the Alternative for Germany party, supports Le Pen in France, etc.

In all European countries, he supports right-wing radicals. For what ? Because the radical right also wants to destroy European unity.

Recently, Putin said he would prefer Biden [as the US President]. I think he did this intentionally. He knows that he is so hated in the United States that if he says he likes someone it will damage his reputation.

I think for Putin it was a way of supporting Trump.

Have you noticed that we are currently witnessing a completely crazy coalition of the far right and the far left in the world?

They all talk about peace negotiations. But what are Putin's conditions? He wants to annex not only the parts currently occupied by his army but also something bigger. At least, all of Donbass.

And that's not all. He repeatedly said: “The kyiv “Nazi regime” itself must fall.” He therefore wants total political control.

I always say to those who advocate “peace talks”: in this situation, it means complete capitulation of Ukraine. And they answer me: “Well, you know, maybe the Russians are exaggerating, maybe there is a chance to reach a compromise in the negotiations. »

But why did the possibility of negotiations present itself? Because Ukraine acted relatively successfully on the battlefield, because Ukraine was able to resist thanks to the help of the West.

If Ukraine had not defended itself, this would have ended long ago, without any negotiations.

The paradox therefore is that the only way to create space for negotiation is to provide Ukraine with sufficient weapons and more aggressive support.

I was shocked by Pope Francis. Remember how he said that Ukraine should raise the white flag and open the way for negotiations? Excuse me, the white flag is not a negotiation. The white flag is surrender. This is my first point.

The second point. Some say, “Let's be real, Russia just wants to get more land and unfortunately Ukraine wasn't the first.” It all started, as you remember, with [South] Ossetia (Georgia), Crimea, etc. Russia is expanding.”

I think we absolutely cannot trust Putin. It will continue to expand its territory. It must be stopped, even if it means risking a wider war. I believe that in the long term, this is the only way to maintain peace.

If we put pressure on Ukraine now, demanding peace, it will mean creating space for Russian expansion.

Forget that Putin supposedly wants peace in Ukraine. For him, “peace” means controlling all of Ukraine. The occupiers, in a cynical sense, still want peace – after occupying.

Did Hitler want peace in France when he occupied it in 1940? Of course, he wanted peace because peace meant: “I can peacefully exploit France.”

Once again: the main paradox is that if negotiations take place, they will only be possible with a strong Ukraine, capable of defending itself.”