Demand a negotiated political solution to the crisis in Ukraine
The crisis in Ukraine continues to deepen with every passing day, and the danger that this conflict could spread beyond its borders and spark a direct confrontation between the U.S./NATO forces and the Russian Federation – both with vast nuclear arsenals – is very real. It is absolutely vital therefore that the peace forces across Canada and around the world act in unison to demand that the NATO military build up in Eastern Europe, and in the Baltic and Black seas be stopped and reversed immediately. The peace forces must act to block the threat of a new Cold War, and to call for a negotiated political solution to the current crisis, to prevent any further escalation and to preserve world peace.
The conflict in Ukraine stems from the unconstitutional power grab which ousted the previous, elected government at the end of February. As our Party has already noted, the crisis was precipitated by an orchestrated campaign by right-wing opposition and neo-fascist forces inside Ukraine – with massive financial backing and guidance from Washington and other Western imperialist powers – to overthrow the government of President Yanukovich and seize power. Far from being a popular, pro democracy “people’s uprising”, this coup d’état was a highly organized operation, carried out with military precision, and masterminded from abroad, with the aim of bringing Ukraine entirely under the influence and domination of the Western imperialist centres. This has been a longstanding imperialist objective which, among other things, would weaken the Russian Federation economically and politically, and give US and NATO another firm foothold along Russia’s sensitive Southern flank, strengthening the military/strategic encirclement of this rival power.
The coup in Kiev has been met by increasing popular resistance. The people of Crimea voted by an overwhelming majority to secede, and have since joined the Russian Federation. In other parts of Eastern Ukraine, pro autonomy forces have taken over more than 20 cities and towns in defiance of the pro Western putschist regime in Kiev, and are now facing a brutal military offensive by the regime to regain control. Artillery barrages and air strikes have been launched against Slovyansk, Luhansk, Mariupol and other centres in the East, killing a large number of unarmed civilians.
Furthermore, a number of atrocities have been committed by the newly formed Ukrainian “National Guard”, made up largely of pro-Nazi and neo-fascist ‘volunteers’. In one of the most outrageous examples of these war crimes, supporters of the illegitimate Kiev government – including members of the violent extremist Right Sector party – surrounded peaceful anti-government protesters in the southern city of Odessa who had taken refuge in the city’s main union hall on May 2. The right wing crowd then set the union hall on fire, and 46 people died by being burned alive or jumping to their deaths trying to escape. Civilian casualties are climbing as residential areas, hospitals, schools and kindergartens come under artillery attack during this punitive and bloody offensive.
The U.S., Canadian and other NATO governments are virtually silent about this spreading humanitarian tragedy, as is the corporate controlled mass media. Indeed the Western imperialist camp has given its “go ahead” to the Kiev regime to carry out this assault, and is providing funds and increasingly sophisticated weaponry to undertake it.
Meanwhile, the NATO military build up of both personnel and advanced weapons systems is expanding in Eastern Europe right up to the Russian borders. NATO warships are plying the Baltic and Black seas, and Canadian and other NATO countries are carrying out surveillance overflights inside Ukraine on behalf of the Kiev regime.
Recently, the United Electrical Workers of America (UE) issued a brave statement expressing the union’s deep concern about the conflict in Ukraine, the inclusion of fascist and neo-Nazi parties in the new Kiev government, and the danger of a “return of the Cold War and the threat of a much hotter war” between the U.S./NATO countries and the Russian Federation.
“We favour peace and friendly, equitable economic relations between nations. We favour negotiations rather than military confrontation to resolve disputes, including this one. We believe the countries that defeated Nazism in World War II, including the U.S. and Russia, should work together against any resurgence of racism, anti-Semitism and fascism in Europe,” the UE statement concluded.
Our Party warmly welcomes this statement, and calls on the broad peace forces, the trade union movement and all concerned citizens to follow this example by speaking out against the deepening Ukrainian crisis and to demand a peaceful, political solution.
At this critical moment, the Communist Party of Canada:
- condemns the military offensive by the Kiev regime in the Eastern part of the country and demands its immediate cessation;
- demands that NATO stop its provocative military build-up in areas and countries adjacent to the Russian Federation, and remove its naval presence in the Black Sea;
- calls on the UN Security Council to intervene to stop the aggression inside Ukraine and prevent a humanitarian disaster;
- supports the call for political negotiations to reach a settlement in Ukraine that addresses the legitimate concerns of the peoples in the east and their desire for greater autonomy, while maintaining the territorial integrity of the country;
- demands that Canadian CF-18s be withdrawn and that the Canadian Government end its belligerent stand and rather speak out for a peaceful political solution to this crisis;
- demands that Canada withdraw from the aggressive NATO military alliance.
Central Executive Committee, Communist Party of Canada
June 9, 2014