Ahead of the general election on Sunday 8 October, our colleagues at RTL.lu delved into manifestos to discover the various parties’ views on the war in Ukraine. While the main parties tend to agree on the key issues, some smaller groups take fringe positions that verge on support for Russia.
When asked about their stance on the Ukraine conflict, the parties’ responses span a spectrum from regret to unequivocal condemnation of Russia’s invasion. While the majority of parties squarely identify Russia as the principal instigator of the conflict, there are three notable exceptions in this regard: Liberté-Freedom, the Luxembourg Communist Party (KPL), and the Conservatives (déi Konservativ).
Liberté-Freedom contends that Western foreign policy did little to avert the conflict. They argue that many experts had warned that integrating Ukraine into the Western bloc was bound to provoke hostilities with Russia.
The KPL, on the other hand, perceives Ukraine as the initial aggressor in the conflict. The party stated, “The KPL has consistently advocated for a peaceful resolution to the conflict since its inception in 2014, initiated by nationalist and fascist militias under the Kyiv coup government, characterizing it as an ‘anti-terrorist operation’ against the population of the Donbas region.”
Although the KPL stressed in its response that it does not support Russia and rejects any allegations of spreading Russian propaganda, this position does reflect the arguments put forward by the Kremlin and has been widely disproved.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, said the party unequivocally rejects any war that violates international law, but refrained from elaborating on responsibility for the current conflict.
When it comes to the question of military support for Ukraine, the parties exhibited a spectrum of positions. Alongside the three governing parties, the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) and the pan-European Volt party firmly endorsed the provision of military aid and agreed that Ukraine should continue receiving military support in the future if needed.
The Left Party (déi Lénk) underscored Ukraine’s right to self-defence, and said the party open to the idea of military aid in principle. However, it cautioned against relying solely on arms shipments, which the Left believes could lead to one-sided escalation.
Conversely, the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (adr) advocates for a more restrained approach, suggesting that assistance should be confined to non-lethal resources like medical supplies or mine-clearing equipment.
Liberté-Freedom and the KPL hold staunchly opposing views, firmly rejecting any form of military aid. Liberté-Freedom argues that military assistance will only prolong the conflict, resulting in more casualties on both sides. The KPL contends that the funds allocated for military aid could be better employed to address social issues within Luxembourg.
When it comes to their views on sanctions against Russia, Luxembourg’s political parties can be clearly categorised into two distinct camps.
One one side, there are those who deem sanctions against Russia necessary and argue that these are already beginning to impact the country. This group includes the governing Democratic Party (DP), Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP), and Green Party (déi gréng), as well as the CSV, and the Left.
The pan-European Volt party, however, went further in contending that Russia is circumventing sanctions too easily. Therefore, Volt advocates for stricter and more targeted sanctions as an immediate necessity.
On the opposing side are the parties against any form of sanctions. This group comprises the adr, the KPL, Liberté-Freedom, and the Conservatives. The Conservatives argue that sanctions would only exacerbate the conflict. Meanwhile, the adr, Liberté-Freedom, and the KPL posit that the sanctions against Russia have been a primary driver of recent inflation. The KPL further asserts that these sanctions primarily impact the Russian population rather than those responsible for the war.
