In connection with the Schiller Institute in Denmark’s meeting on May 4, 2025, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Denmark from Nazi occupation, we conducted an interview with Jens Jørgen Nielsen, an historian, author and lecturer on Russia and Ukraine. He was the Moscow correspondent for the Danish daily Politiken in the late 1990s, and is a leader of the Russian-Danish Dialogue organization.
In Part 1: In response to interviewer Michelle Rasmussen, who asked for Jens Jørgen Nielsen’s evaluation of the current situation, and what he thinks would be important to make it possible to achieve peace, he started that though, in light of it being 80 years after the liberation of Denmark, he wished he could be optimistic, but we are very far from a peaceful solution. Whereas he has sympathy for Trump and Witkoff’s efforts, it is not so easy to end the war. For many years, we have not had any diplomatic relations with Russia, thereby lacking a climate for negotiations. He pointed to the Peace of Westphalia which took five years to negotiate, and the Congress of Vienna which took a year. Diplomatic relations have to be rebuilt. Zelenskyy, von der Leyen and now Kallas have not wanted to negotiate with Russia.
He hopes that important countries which have not been part of the war, as the U.S. has, countries like India and China, or South Africa, BRICS countries, would convene Peace of Westphalia-type negotiations, be neutral and open to understand both sides of the conflict, and begin a longer process towards peace.
Yet, even if the Ukrainian army would collapse, we would still have to figure out how to build what Gorbachev called the European House. How to create a security, economic and cultural architecture leading to a normal cooperation structure. If not it will be destructive for all parties.
With the U.S. pulling back, it will be up to the Europeans to instead of just talking about rearmament and war with Russia, figure out how to recreate the relations that were built up during the last 50 years—policies like Ostpolitik (policy towards the East), and wandel durch handel (change through trade). He hopes that European politicians would promote that, but does not see that in the Danish parliament. We need competition between Europe and Russia. Right now there is no contact, neither educational, cultural, nor in sports.
The interviewer said that Jens Jørgen Nielsen’s statements lead directly towards Helga Zepp-LaRouche’s call for a new international security and development architecture. I could not be more in agreement, he said.
Part 2 will come tomorrow.
