“The government has been relying too much on the EU”

Duroyan Fertl interviews Tobias Drevland Lund, MP for Norwegian left party Rødt (“Red”)

The impact of the war in Ukraine in the Nordic countries has been largely viewed with reference to Finland and Sweden and their possible accession to NATO. But what have been the reactions of other Nordic countries to Russia's war of aggression, what are their most important demands, and what role are left parties playing in this response? Tobias Drevland Lund, an MP from the Norwegian left party Rødt, outlines the experience in Norway, and the prospects for a progressive and sustainable security infrastructure in Europe.

How has the Norwegian government reacted to the war in Ukraine? Is it supplying weapons to Ukraine or has it announced a supply? Are there any significant changes in position?

At first, the social democrat-led government and all other parties in parliament were united in our condemnation of Putin’s act of aggression with his illegal, imperialist attack on Ukraine. There was also a broad consensus among the parties about helping Ukraine with medical and humanitarian aid and welcoming the Ukrainian refugees.

The first big shift in position from the government was when they championed sending weapons to Ukraine. Initially, all the parties agreed on aiding the Ukrainians with helmets and protective vests, because Ukraine had specifically requested it. Just a short time after, however, it was decided that Norway also should contribute with military weapons.

This was in breach of a law dating back to 1959, saying that Norway should not export weapons to any country at war. At that time, Norway had a common border with the Soviet Union and Norway was afraid of being considered a co-combatant against the Soviets under international law.

The Norwegian government, and all parties in parliament except the Red Party, supported this new shift in position. The Red Party is of the opinion that Norway, bordering Russia, should still be wary of providing weapons to Ukraine, as it could make us a co-combatant. We should rather do whatever we can do to help the Ukrainians by other means.

What measures does the government intend to take to help establish peace in Ukraine? What is its position at the European level and vis-à-vis NATO?

The government has been relying too much on the EU in our opinion. Even though sanctions and restrictions have more effect if more countries are agreeing, The Red Party thinks the government has been slow in taking various actions in response to the crisis. For example, early on we proposed to implement a law that would launch an investigation and issue an international arrest warrant against Putin for violating the Rome Statute's ban on wars of aggression.

The government and the majority in parliament have rejected this proposal. The Red Party also proposed heavy sanctions on the Russian oligarchs, and we demanded the exclusion of all Russian oligarchs from our oil and gas industry. The latter has indeed taken place – not because of our government, but because of actions taken by the British.

We have also asked the government to be more active in actually transporting the Ukrainian refugees to Norway and to give shelter to activists, artists and Russian deserters who refuses to fight in Putin’s war.

Read the full article at Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung - Brussels Office.