“Never again April 9” is anything but a platitude

8 May is not a day of remembrance for old people. The war in Ukraine has made it acutely relevant.

This is an editorial. The leader expresses Aftenposten’s view. The editor-in-chief and political editor are responsible for the content.

So the day of liberation on May 8 is here again – for the 80th time – while the war bulletins pour in from Gaza and Ukraine. At memorial stones around the country, wreaths will be laid and commemorative speeches will be made for Norwegians who gave their lives in the fight against Nazism in the years from 1940 to 1945.

“Never again April 9” will again be a key point. Norway must be on guard so that no foreigners can harm the country, as the Germans did on 9 April 1940.

Over the years, the average age has become high at these 8 May events. The Second World War is distant. But the speeches held the following day in Moscow are intrusively close and shocking.

9 May is “Victory Day” itself in Russia. Then President Vladimir Putin speaks, while tanks roll across Red Square. Russia has a large part of the credit for the fact that Nazism was defeated in Europe. But crudely and deeply tragically, Putin claims that the war of aggression in Ukraine is an extension of this struggle.

The truth is different. Russia bombs and terrorises. While Ukraine has experienced its “9. April” in two acts. First with the annexation of Crimea in 2014. And then with the grand invasion of the country on 24 February 2022.

Russia has scared its neighbors into action. Sweden and Finland have joined NATO. Norway is gearing up. Before the summer, the Storting will adopt the most ambitious long-term military plan in a long time. Everything else would have been indefensible.

8 May 1945 was not a day when “the parties came to their senses” and ended the war at a negotiating table. 8 May was a date for the unconditional surrender. Germany first surrendered to the Western powers in Reims in France on 7 May and then on 8 May to the Russians in Berlin.

Ukraine and its helpers must be allowed to have a similar liberation as a dream: A Russia that loses on the battlefield and capitulates blankly. It could have provided the necessary ventilation and created opportunities to build a new future in both Ukraine and Russia. The nightmare is the reverse – a Ukraine that has to lay down its arms and let Russia emerge as the victor after the war of conquest.

In the end, the most likely outcome is probably a negotiated solution. But on the way there, Norway, Europe and North America have nothing else to do but support Ukraine militarily and politically.

The goal is not to beat or threaten Russia. The goal is to save Ukraine’s independence and the belief in a rule-governed world order.

A good May 8th is wished for everyone – both the elderly and especially the younger generations.