Europe has lost the sweetness of freedom. Can Ukraine bring it back?

Ancient Greek historian Herodotus has been quoted for analogies on Russia’s attack on Ukraine: Ukrainians are as heroic as the 300 Spartans. Putin suffers from hybris like Persian King of Kings Xerxes who failed to conquer Greece. But it seems to me even more interesting, what Herodotus reports Spartans and Athenians saying on freedom. Because I believe it can shed light on why some in Western Europe only hesitantly support Ukraine. It’s about the sweetness of freedom.

After Xerxes has assembled his huge army to conquer Greece, a Persian general tells the Spartans:

“Why do you refuse being the king’s friends? (…) If you subjugate yourself to him, the king will make every Spartan the ruler of a region in Hellas.”

The Spartans answer:

“You know only what you advise us to do. You do not know what you advise us against. (…Y)ou know nothing of freedom, if it is sweet or if it is bitter. If you had ever tasted it, you would advise us to fight for it not only with spears but also with axes.”

The Persian knows not if freedom is sweet or bitter, as he knows only unfreedom.

But Western Europeans face the opposite lack of knowledge. We know only freedom in our own life experience. From this, I believe, one can also lose the feeling for freedom’s sweetness. You don’t feel (anymore) how bitter un-freedom is. You lose the urgent feeling for the preciousness of freedom. Like you don’t feel how precious health is if you are not severely ill.

And second, I think some in Western Europe doubt if the freedom Ukrainians are defending is really sweet or if this is an exaggeration or lie. Some doubt if our own European freedom, which Ukrainians claim to aspire to, is really tasting so sweet.

I believe, many do not feel that we are truly free ourselves. Wouldn’t we be happy if we were free? But we are not! The demands of our jobs wear us out. We worry about our income, holidays, pension, living standard. Social pressure. Out-of-touch politicians who don’t follow their declared principles. A far-away EU enacting policies we cannot change. Isn’t it a fiction of those in power that we enjoy precious freedom?

Sociological data shows that one big difference with unfree countries is in doubt in Western Europe: Can we say freely what we think? In 1991, 78% of the respondents in Germany said yes, we can speak freely. In 2021, it was down to 45% (in 2025: 46%).

General perception of freedom is also going down in Western Europe. Gallup asks people if they are satisfied with their “freedom to choose what they want to do with their lives.” In the United Kingdom, in 2006 91% of citizens said they were free, 8% said they were not. In 2025, only 78% felt free, 21% did not. Sweden: 95% vs. 4% in 2006, 92% vs. 8% in 2025; France: 88% to 10% in 2006 to 73% vs. 27% in 2025. It’s not a uniform, drastic trend, though.

But maybe even more importantly, Western Europeans are pessimistic on the future of their freedom. In a 2023 Gallup poll, worldwide 50% found the political freedom in their country sufficient. Above average were, for example, Sweden with 74% “sufficient” – 3^rd rang worldwide –, Germany 63% - 5^th rang worldwide –, the UK 58%, France 53%.

But asked if in the coming 25 years freedom would increase or decrease, the picture was inverse. In Germany, 22% expected an increase and 29% a decrease. That was the third-worst place globally, Sweden was on the second-worst, France nineth-worst place. By contrast, countries with a negative assessment of their freedom today, as Vietnam or Nigeria, had much higher optimism for future improving freedom (86% and 80%, respectively).

Maybe we have tasted freedom for a long time, but in impure form, and mostly debated its shortcomings. Maybe therefore many Western Europe don’t feel strongly, that in spite of everything, our freedom is very sweet. That it’s real. So, who in the world would want to fight for that?

Among voters of far left or far right, such perceptions might be particularly strong. For example, again in Germany, a poll in 2025 showed that only 11% of AfD voters felt free to express their views. As to the political left: Die Linke’s party program put peace, dignity, social security and democratic structures in the center. Freedom it mentions only in passing.

And exactly people on the relatively far right and left are also most critical of Ukraine and its refusal to accommodate Russian demands.

Politicians supporting Russia hammer constantly the point that our freedom is not real. For example, in 2022 an MP from Alternative für Deutschland shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion gave an interview on Russian TV. On what? That freedom of expression is limited in Germany.

Russia pushes this message worldwide, with a double-logic. First, a variation of a Soviet-Marxist argument: Market economy and imperialism make Western countries fundamentally unfree. It is really Russia which supports anti-imperialist freedom and decolonization movements. And second, the right-wing logic that freedom in the West is subjugated by woke LGBTQ ideas, which ruling elites adopt to censor normal people. Russia’s propaganda point that “Ukraine is like Russia, just more corrupt,” also says: The fundamental difference of which Ukrainians talk, freedom vs. unfreedom - is a lie.

As often, Russia and the populists lie, but they have a point in which to put their hook and distort the proportions: It is not only that political correctness indeed goes very far in European countries. That economic and social pressure and regulation push and pull and limit us. More fundamentally, the concept of freedom is not simple. Talking of freedom can be a façade, as pointed out by liberation theology (without “liberation from the shackles of poverty” many can’t even think of freedom of life choices), or Marx (those asking freedom from state interference may want freedom to exploit others). Not being afraid for your life can be worth trading some freedom for it: Thomas Hobbes said, people created the state with its powers to limit their freedom because without it, in a fight of all against all, for most life would be “solitary, nasty, brutish and short.” Somebody as freewheeling as Steve Jobs, when his closed Apple eco-system was criticized for limiting freedom, said it did actually give freedom: “freedom from violence, freedom from porn”.

But Ukrainians feel the big picture of sweet versus bitter in a very practical way. They live in a far from perfect country with disfunctions, limitations, injustices. But they can change their leaders in elections, demonstrate on the streets, have free media. They see, feel, hear, the alternative: unfreedom, just across the frontline in the occupied territories: Russia tortures and kills people who criticize the leadership or, for example, want to speak Ukrainian. And, neither does Russia give freedom from the shackles of poverty, nor from free market exploitation, nor from injustice, nor from violence or porn. Quite the opposite. Ukrainian freedom is, in comparison, overall clearly sweet. Who in the world would not want to fight for that? Even if your chances seem small.

Herodotus reports how a Persian emissary tells Athenians:

“Why are you such ferocious enemies of the king? You will never defeat him, and over time you will not be able to hold your place against him. (…). Even if you defeat (this army), which you cannot reasonably hope for, a much bigger army will come. Why (…) lose your country, constantly fight for your life? Reconcile yourselves with him. Now (… is your) best chance for it.”

The Athenians answer:

“We know that the Persian might is much bigger than ours (…) But anyway we will fight for our freedom as long as we have any strength left.” And: “Nowhere in the world is there enough gold, nowhere such a beautiful fertile land, that for its sake we would become Persian and bring Hellas into slavery.”

That, one might imagine, could be a Ukrainian answer.

But what will happen if, give God, Ukraine should prevail and join the EU? Will Ukrainians bring their feeling of what is fundamentally sweet and fundamentally bitter? Will this reinvigorate Europe? Or will consumerism, jobs competition in a shrinking economy, algorithm-induced commercialization of lifestyle, political dysfunctionality, take the sweetness out of the air Ukrainians breathe within the EU? Quite possible.

But first things first: If Ukraine joins the EU that will be because Ukraine has won. Which means, freedom has won. That’s a post-postheroic boost for Europe. The Greeks repelled Xerxes, the Allies repelled Hitler, Europe – Ukraine - repelled Russia's attack. Freedom’s aporias are probably difficult to cure quickly. But let’s not underestimate how a new success story could jolt European’s taste of the sweetness of freedom.