AFGJ POSITION ON UKRAINE

Alliance for Global Justice decries the hostilities in Ukraine that endanger the people of that region and the entire world. Humanity must grow beyond its violent tendencies and substitute true justice for warfare.

The roots of the war in Ukraine lie in decades of NATO expansion that seeks to extend US hegemony over the entire world. This is imperialism, pure and simple. We see the expansion of fascism in Ukraine, the US, UK, and many parts of the European Union. The ugly alliance between fascism and imperialism is a global threat. This threat expands beyond Eastern Europe and threatens sovereignty of many nations especially in Latin America and throughout the Global South.

End NATO expansions that threaten Russia. The Russian state, as do other nations, has a right to sovereignty and secure borders.
Uphold Minsk Protocols.
No US troops on ground in Ukraine region.
End the use of civilians as fodder for proxy wars between global powers.
End targeting of civilians by either side.
We demand the immediate cessation of racist/fascist behavior in Ukraine and at its borders.
We call for mediation by the world community of nations.
We call for total nuclear disarmament.

Alliance for Global Justice strives to be what our name says: a setting for people from different regions, different approaches, different cultures to come together to work for justice around the world. Never has the need for alliances or justice been greater than today when we face prospects of international conflict on a level we have not seen in generations, along with a growing threat of nuclear annihilation.

We affirm that peace is not merely a cessation of military action; peace is the presence of justice and security for all parties involved in conflicts. Without justice, there can be no peace. Historical and current violations of human rights must be addressed and remedied.

It is important that we examine the historical and geopolitical factors at work in this conflict. Decades of NATO expansion have threatened Russian borders. We recall the US response to a military and nuclear presence close to its borders when in 1962 Cuba armed itself to deter further US attacks on its land and people. The United States’ reaction was to threaten nuclear attacks on Cuba and the USSR; it brought the world to the brink of annihilation.

Russia and Ukraine share a 1,426-mile border, which is only 400-some miles from Moscow – mere minutes’ traveling distance by missile. If Ukraine were to join NATO, troops and materiel including nuclear-capable weaponry would be staged in Ukraine. Must Russia allow a threat that the United States would not tolerate? Global stability requires that NATO’s expansion must cease.

Likewise, the Minsk accords must be honored. This series of international agreements aimed at ending the longstanding war in the Donbas region of Ukraine. The Minsk Protocol I was drafted in 2014 by Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) with mediation by the leaders of France and Germany. A subsequent Protocol was ratified in 2015. It consisted of a package of measures, including a ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line, release of prisoners of war, constitutional reform in Ukraine granting self-government to certain areas of Donbas and restoring control of the state border to the Ukrainian government. Russia and its European neighbors worked out an equitable solution to centuries-old conflicts. Honoring the Minsk treaties is a viable solution to this conflict.

There are at least 750 US military bases in 80 countries around the world. They are the stick used by the United States when the carrots of economic and political threats fail to get the results the US empire desires. These military forces constitute a real and present threat to peace. Certainly, a US military presence in Ukraine or surrounding nations will provoke a negative response from Russia. The world’s two greatest nuclear-armed states cannot engage in armed conflict without risking a cataclysmic situation. Under no circumstances should the US military place ground forces in or around Ukraine.

This raises the ongoing issue of nuclear weapons. A just and sane solution to the constant threat of nuclear annihilation calls for total nuclear disarmament. No exceptions!

Targeting civilian populations and using civilians as shields for military units and instillations is a grievous violation of human rights. We call for an immediate cessation of these actions by all parties.

Numerous reports of racially-motivated violence against non-white immigrants, students and citizens by Ukrainians and at the border with Poland illustrate the ongoing threat of fascism in Ukraine. Attacks upon Jews by Ukranian fascists are horrific and unacceptable. These behaviors should not be glossed over by Ukrainian officials. Commentary by European and US officials and reporters frequently references the fact that Ukrainians are white, Christian Europeans and therefore should not be targets of violence or upheaval. White supremacy is unacceptable in any setting. We ask the Biden administration to advocate for the people in Ukraine who are under attack by Ukrainian fascists.

Diplomatic solutions are preferable to military responses. We urge the United States, Russia, Ukraine, and the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk to participate in mediation and to abide by the decisions made in that setting.

AfGJ also notes the vital role that Russia plays in support of liberation struggles. Specifically, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and other nations that endure US embargoes and blockades rely upon Russia for material support and trade. Colombia, NATO’s only partner in Latin America, has made unfounded accusations that Russia has been funding protests in Colombia and advising troop movements in Venezuela. On March 1, 2022, Colombia and the US began military exercises in the Caribbean that, for the first time ever, involve a nuclear submarine. Colombia’s Defense Minister said the exercises were “within the scope of NATO”. We denounce the expansion of NATO and its wars into Latin America. The embargoes, impoundments of funds and no-fly policies are wreaking harm on nations and peoples with whom we stand in solidarity.