The world is facing a period of unprecedented danger. At the end of January, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the hands of the Doomsday Clock forward. They are now set to 90 seconds to midnight – the closest to global catastrophe the world has ever been. The main, but not the only reason is the war in Ukraine.
Early in the course of the war Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg asserted ‘we must prepare for the fact that it could take years’. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned last August, the world had entered ‘a time of nuclear danger not seen since the height of the Cold War’.
Despite many warnings that the war could provoke nuclear confrontation, President Biden and Prime Minister Sunak are still calling for escalation. Encouraged by this, in December President Zelensky called on Nato allies for 500 more tanks; in January he appealed for some of the latest fighter jets.
Ukraine is a war fought on two fronts – the invasion of Russia and resistance of Ukraine; and a proxy war between the US-Nato and Russia. Sadly, Ukrainians are the all-round losers. One year on, the statistics tell the story.
According to UNHCR sources:
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- over 8,000 civilians are recorded dead and almost 13,500 more injured – the actual figures are considered to be much higher
- approximately 8 million Ukrainians are internally displaced
- another 8m have crossed Ukraine’s borders, including 2.8m to Russia and 1.6m to Poland, and
- nearly 18 million Ukrainians are ‘in dire need’ of humanitarian assistance.
North America and Europe are out of step with the rest of the world. The majority of states want the war to end. This includes South Africa, India, China, Turkey, Hungary, and most Latin American countries.
Public support for the war is declining everywhere, including in North America and Europe. In the run up to the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, tens of thousands of protestors in North America and Europe joined the call to stop the war and build the peace.
In London, CND and Stop the War organised a Peace Talks Now demonstration in London. Plans for regional actions are now underway.
In 1962, a year on from the Cuban Missile Crisis and only weeks before his assignation, President John F Kennedy made a speech which contained an important message for today. He said: ‘Above all nuclear powers must avert those confrontations which bring an adversary to a choice of either a humiliating retreat or a nuclear war.’
On the anniversary of the invasion, China’s published a 12-point position statement on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. It acknowledges that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. The 12 points include:
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- respecting the sovereignty of all countries
- addressing the security interests of all countries
- de-escalation to reach a comprehensive ceasefire
- resuming peace talks
- making clear ‘nuclear weapons must not be used, and nuclear wars must not be fought’
- compliance with the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) to keep nuclear power plants safe.
All calls for negotiations, all proposals for peace talks, and all citizens demonstrating for peace are to be congratulated. Labour CND is proud to stand on the right side of history. Let us do all we can to stop this war and build a just, sustainable, and lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia, and end the threat of nuclear confrontation.
Rae Street reports from Manchester: As CND and Stop the War marched in London, Greater Manchester CND, Manchester STW and Manchester People’s Assembly, gathered in the centre of town. Ten CND and peace groups were there with their banners, including the newly-formed Bury and Salford CND group. Impromptu speeches included a Ukrainian refugee whose daughter carried a placard saying ‘Talks Not Tanks’.