Ukraine: let’s build bridges of peace, not theatres of war
We support the population, the people and humanity.
We stand with the Ukrainian civilians who are suffering air raids and have been forced to leave their homes to seek shelter from bombs in underground bunkers. We stand with the Russian civilians who are suffering the consequences of this senseless war: the brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and widows of those who are losing their lives, following Putin’s orders.
The European Union’s decision to buy weapons is not the reaction we were hoping for from an institution which was founded to promote peace, cooperation and the prevention of armed conflict. Germany’s plan to invest 100 billion Euro in defence, which could influence Italy and other EU countries to do the same, is just irresponsible. Global spending on defence has nearly doubled over the last twenty years: has this made the world safer in this time, has war stopped, stability and safety been ensured for everybody? The exact opposite is true: Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and now Ukraine serve to remind us that increased defence spending will always lead to disaster and the only way to avoid war is to invest in peace.
We are calling for a new approach to European safety, based on cooperation and multilateralism, with no nuclear warheads anywhere between the Atlantic and the Ural Mountains. We must build bridges of solidarity between populations, not walls and military rivalries.
ANTI PUTIN, ANTI NATO, WE STAND FOR PEACE AND WE STAND WITH THE UKRAINIAN AND RUSSIAN PEOPLE
The Italian government and the European Union should limit themselves to a position of ‘active neutrality’ rather than alignment, striving initially to decrease levels of tension, establish opportunities for dialogue and unite the populations, in accordance with article 11 of our Constitution. Active neutrality doesn’t mean a lack of action, but rather striving for peace in the following ways:
- A declaration of Italy’s refusal to participate in the conflict, by withdrawing all troops currently based in Eastern Europe, and refusing to send weapons in the conflict areas.
- Officially stating Italy’s objection to to a further expansion of NATO to the east.
- Launching a new approach to foreign policy based on multilateralism and peaceful cooperation between nations.
We believe that the expansion and indeed the very existence of military accords like NATO, are a threat to global security.
We demand that the UN, side-lined by the senseless growth of military accords and the violation of international rights stemming from the use of war to solve international disputes, must re-establish its pivotal role in the International Community in an increasingly multilateral world.
In these dramatic times when war reminds us once again that humans are the most destructive force on the planet, we have no choice but to defend humanity.
We stand together with the people in Ukraine who are living under the constant threat of bomb attacks, dreading the wail of the sirens and the next terrible explosion.
We commend the courage of the Pacifist Movement in Russia which has overcome threats and mass arrests to take their protests to the streets.
So let’s join their protests and take action. We must not be silenced by the roar of bombs and the behaviour of the most powerful.
We must join together and make ourselves heard with a National Protest March in Rome on March 5th.
No more attacks on Ukraine, no more bloodshed; the UN must mediate negotiations. To build bridges of Peace, not theatres of war.
UN Ponte Per’s National Committee