Closing words of the “5% to Ukraine” opinion piece
The Time Ukraine Has Gifted Us
… and how we are in the process of wasting it
Part of the 5% to Ukraine opinion piece. The original Norwegian text was written to implore the people of Norway to invest 5% of our sovereign wealth fund in a Ukrainian victory and the future of Europe. It has been translated into English for a wider audience.
Against the expectations of most experts and national leaders, Ukraine pushed back the Russian army in the opening days of the war. With this, Ukraine gave the West a gift we’ve failed to fully appreciate. They gave us the time we needed to be brave. The time we needed to show the world how the democracies of the West are united and strong.
The West is in the process of squandering the opportunity Ukraine gave us. We are about to show the world that everything they believed about the West is true. That we are not willing to sacrifice a small percentage of our GDP to support a Western country’s fight for democracy and freedom. That we are not willing to sacrifice for the values we claim to believe in.
We are about to forget what Ukraine has reminded us of — that democracy is not a historical inevitability, but a continuous struggle against the many forces that seek to tear it down. That democracy and self-governance are ideas you must be willing to defend with your life. Ukraine’s struggle shows the world how democracies make people stronger, something all autocrats fear their populations will understand.
If we are to not lose our own democracies, we must fight for them. We must demonstrate to Putin that the West does not allow his use of war as a tool of power. We must make it clear that those who attack Western democracies can never win.
If we do not stop Putin here, all authoritarian world leaders will learn the opposite. That war is an effective tool against the West. We cannot allow that.
Let us, the people of Norway, demonstrate to our friends and allies what it truly means when Norway offers its full support. Let us show them what it means to act.
Let us give Ukraine what they need to win.
Let us give Ukraine 5% of our sovereign wealth fund, but let us give it with an apology.
Dear Ukraine,
On behalf of ourselves, and the West, we apologise for letting you suffer without the support you deserve for defending Western values. We apologise for not living up to what should be expected of friends. We apologise for needing so long to wake up.
Thank you, for giving us the time we needed to be brave.
With hopes for a swift victory,
Norway’s Conscience
Acknowledgements
The starting point for this opinion piece was a video from the YouTube channel Perun where a Norwegian asked the question, “what if Norway gave Ukraine 5%.” Details from Perun’s analyses are found throughout this piece, and hopefully a bit of his humour might have been incorporated as well.
Timothy Snyder, who is an American professor of history at Yale University, has been one of the most steadfast and articulate supporters of Ukraine since the war began. The ideas and subjects of his speeches, lectures, and books permeate this entire piece. Do yourselves a favor and listen to his thoughts directly:
Thank you to all journalists for your invaluable reporting of the war. The consistent reporting by the Norwegian press from Ukraine is one of the main reasons this statement has been written.
Thank you to those who have read this opinion piece. Thank you for making an active choice about who you and Norway are. Thank you for being willing to listen to your conscience.
Finally, thank you to Ukraine. Thank you very much.
All parts of the opinion piece
