From Gaza to Ukraine: A Unified Call for Peace

For a Security Policy That Promotes Peace and Social Justice in Europe

Speech of Walter Baier:

When it comes to peace and international law, NATO and the European Commission stand among the greatest hypocrites in the world. While they have imposed sanctions on Russia—we are now at the 17th package—they continue to support Israel’s far-right government with weapons, funding, and political backing, allowing it to act with impunity.

This willful ignorance is fatal while we are living through the most dangerous period in Europe since the end of World War II. Perceptions may vary across regions, but the fact remains: nuclear powers are confronting each other in Ukraine, with no political exit in sight. The threat of uncontrolled escalation hangs over Europe like a sword of Damocles.

That is why the EL says clearly: this war must end—and fast. The EU and NATO cannot evade their responsibilities, just as they must not turn a blind eye to the genocide in Gaza. When Russia launched its war, we were among the first to clearly and unambiguously condemn it.

Let’s not pretend we don’t know what’s going on. If we truly want a political solution, we must also acknowledge the role NATO and the EU have played—and continue to play. The military-first strategy has not brought peace to Ukraine. It will not bring peace in the future. It has only brought more destruction, more suffering, and a rising risk of escalation.

Now, they are using this war as an excuse for the largest rearmament effort since the Second World War:

— €800 billion for the rearmament program
— €150 billion in loans for weapons procurement of the states
— 5% of GDP devoted to military spending
— A quadrupling of air defense spending, as recently announced by NATO

The justification for this exorbitant spendings is based on the myth that Western Europe would be defenseless against Russia which is not true. The EU member states plus UK spend more on defense than any country except the United States—and significantly more than Russia.

While doing so the European Commission demands budget cuts in public services. Austerity for the people—superprofits for the arms industry. This is a tsunami that will wash away the welfare state, public healthcare, the ecological transition—and even democracy itself.

We oppose this direction. We support the European Trade Union Confederation in its fight against austerity. It is the working class who dies in wars. It is the working class who pays the price of militarism. Without defeating militarism, there can be no climate justice, no social justice—no future. This is one struggle.

Trump’s presidency has sparked renewed debate on European ‘strategic autonomy.’ We agree, it is time for Europe to take its security into its own hands. But this question must be answered from a working-class perspective: What would a peaceful, autonomous Europe look like? And what role would it play in the multipolar world that is emerging before our eyes?

First, the EU must correct its self-image. The EU is not Europe—and will not be for the foreseeable future. We are not against the Enlargement of the EU. However, it must avoids extending the neoliberal model that relegates candidate countries to the role of raw material suppliers and cheap labor sources. We must resist ambitions to transform the EU into an empire expanding and competing with other global powers.

Second, the EU is still tied to NATO by treaty. But military pacts are, by definition, aimed at enemies—and they create insecurity, not peace. We have to break this connection.

Third, we must abandon the misconception that more weapons mean more security. The opposite is true. Real, humane security means protecting people from pandemics, hunger, and climate disaster. It means ensuring access to water, housing, healthcare, and human dignity.

And fourth, Europe’s future security architecture will be pluralistic and diverse. While the U.S. and Russia dismantle arms control agreements, 94 countries have signed the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of nuclear weapons—73 have ratified it. Only three EU countries have done so: Austria, Malta, and Ireland. This is a shame. But it also reflects the importance of neutrality and non-alignment. Rather than pressuring these nations, the EU should recognize and respect their international role. The EU should also support the peaceful reunification of Ireland and the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus.

Europe is the continent most at risk from nuclear war. We call on the EU to join the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of nuclear weapons and make Europe—like Africa and Latin America—a nuclear weapons-free zone. This means in a first step the withdrawal of U.S. nuclear weapons from European soil. No new U.S. mid-range missiles in Germany. No more nuclear dependency.

It seems the European elites have learned nothing from two world wars and the Cold War. Today, we face a double threat: militarization and the rise of neo-fascism. Eighty years after the defeat of fascism, leaders like Putin, Trump, Netanyahu, and Erdoğan remind us:

• The far right is not history—it is a threat of the present.
• They do not just talk. They act—violently and ruthlessly.

This global far-right surge is how the most reactionary elites are attempting to resolve today’s crises: with authoritarianism and external aggression. We must break free from this double trap. Change will not come from institutions alone. It will come from below—from trade unions, social movements, feminists, and even faith communities.

Where is the peace movement? It is back. Just look at the massive demonstrations in Rome, Madrid, Berlin, Copenhagen, and London calling for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza. And yes—they are working.

Governments and EU institutions can no longer hide their complicity. More and more countries are recognizing the State of Palestine. We are proud to be part of that growing movement. We support the demonstration against the NATO summit in The Hague on June 22. We support the ‘Stop Rearmament’ campaign led by civil society across Europe. We support the struggle to end the genocide in Gaza!

We on the Left—our parties, our Members of Parliament—bear a great responsibility.

We must not be divided. This is not a time for sectarianism. It is a time for unity—to build a broad global front for peace and democracy. It will not be easy, but victory is possible. Another world is possible.

Thank you.

👉 Watch the full video of the event here