Why supporting Ukraine in the war is necessary. Commentary
Weapons for Ukraine and negotiations with Russia
Iconic Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek shared his views with the BBC’s Ukrainian service on peace negotiations with Russia, nuclear weapons for Ukraine, and on ‘canceling’ Russian culture.
Slavoj Žižek is considered an iconic figure in philosophy and a living classic of psychoanalysis. This year, he turned 75. His academic works challenge the norms and rules that he describes as “cemented in the peaceful decades following World War II.”
Žižek identifies as a “radical leftist” and simultaneously advocates for providing nuclear weapons to Ukraine.
Don’t surrender Russian culture to Putin
“I don’t like it 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, Dostoevsky, and so on. I don’t want to allow this for Putin because Putin is not someone who opposes Russian culture to 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 Theatre, ‘Russian’ ballet, all of it became a weapon even under Stalin.
In the late 1920s and early ’30s in the Soviet Union, there was a discussion about 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 him into a weapon. The tragedy is that when they decided to publish Tchaikovsky’s texts and letters, they had to censor them. They were full of 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
“No matter how naive it may sound, we must recognize: if it turns out that most Russians support Putin, it is because the majority are under the power of terror. They are being terrorized. Speaking out against Putin is too risky.
Russian society does not actively support [Putin and his policies]. But nevertheless, they tolerate it. When Russia achieves some successes in the war, they rejoice.
Unfortunately, I must say, it is the same as it was with Hitler. Hitler lost support only when he started losing the war.
For most of the time, even if they were not active Nazis, the majority of Germans did not just tolerate Hitler. I would say they possibly supported him, admired the progress.
But I am not so naive as to say, as pseudo-leftists have long claimed, that the majority is innocent. We need to be very clear here. You cannot simply say: ‘They are innocent.’
Yes, they are being manipulated, but everyone is being manipulated. The point is, people often support something even if they know they are being manipulated.”
On Russian threats to use nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons for Ukraine
“A couple of weeks ago, in an interview with Piers Morgan, I said that Ukraine should be given 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. It’s not that I meant it seriously. I just wanted to draw attention to it. Everyone jumped on me, accusing me of wanting nuclear war, saying that we shouldn’t spread nuclear weapons.
But wait a minute. Putin has already transferred nuclear weapons to Belarus; they are already there. I want to highlight that certain crazy actions are expected from Putin. He constantly threatens with nuclear weapons, setting conditions.
So, even the States, which support Ukraine, still treat it as a somewhat irresponsible country? As if they can’t be trusted, they’re too nationalistic, they might do something crazy.
People talk about Western religious fundamentalism, but do you know what people in Russia are talking about with each other, what you can read and hear in Russian media? They are constantly talking about possible nuclear bombings and even openly state the conditions.
For example, Putin and others declare that Russia will have the right to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty is threatened. And then look at how they define their sovereignty. It includes the Donbas 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 neo-fascist. Look at who Putin supports in the West—those who want to dismantle Europe. Putin backs the Alternative for Germany party, supports Le Pen in France, and so on.
In every European country, he supports right-wing radicals—why? Because radical right-wingers also want to destroy European unity.
Recently, Putin said that 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 prefers someone, it will hurt that person’s standing.
I think that for Putin, this was a way to support Trump.
Have you noticed that we are currently witnessing in the world a completely crazy coalition of extreme right and extreme left?
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 something greater. At least, the entire Donbas.
And that’s not all. He has repeatedly said, “The ‘Nazi regime’ in Kyiv itself must fall.” So he wants total political control.
I always say to those advocating for “peace talks” — in this situation, it means complete capitulation of Ukraine. And they respond to me, “Well, you know, maybe the Russians are exaggerating, maybe there is a chance to compromise in the negotiations.”
But why did the possibility of negotiations arise at all? Because Ukraine has acted relatively successfully on the battlefield, because Ukraine has been able to withstand, thanks to the help of the West.
If Ukraine had not defended itself, it would have all ended long ago, without any negotiations.
Therefore, the paradox is that the only way to create space for negotiations is to provide Ukraine with enough weapons and more aggressive support.
I was shocked by Pope Francis. Remember, he said that Ukraine should raise the white flag and open the way for negotiations? Excuse me, the white flag is not negotiations. The white flag is surrender. This is my first point.
The second point. Some people say, “Let’s be realistic, Russia just wants to get more land, and unfortunately, Ukraine wasn’t the first. It started, as you remember, with [South] Ossetia (Georgia), Crimea, and so on. Russia is expanding.”
I think we absolutely cannot trust Putin. He will continue to expand territory. He needs to be stopped, even if it means risking a larger war. I believe that in the long run, this is the only way to maintain peace.
If we pressure 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 the entire Ukraine. Occupiers in a cynical sense always want peace — after they occupy.
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 happen at all, they will only be possible with a strong Ukraine capable of defending itself”.
