No to War! - Resolution of the Party Executive Committee

Dear comrades,

in light of the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine the PEC adopted the following resolution:

No to War!

No to the Breach of International Law by Russia

For Deescalation and Disarmament

The developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict are shocking. A belligerent wildfire in Europe seems probable. As a peace party we oppose the breach of international law and military aggression as a means of political dispute.

The official Russian recognition of the regions Donezk and Luhansk and the announced deployment of Russian troops represent a new level of escalation.

To prevent a war a return to the internationally binding Minsk agreements is necessary. The people of Eastern Ukraine suffer from war-like conflicts for years already. A further radical deterioration of the situation is imminent, life threatening for the civilian population. These days there can only be one credo - we urgently need deescalation and negotiations.

The fight for geopolitical influence takes place on the back of the Ukrainian population for years already, claiming many thousand victims. Already it becomes clear that the recent aggravation of the Ukraine conflict activates a spiral of armament worth billions, further destabilising the whole situation in Eastern Europe. Necessary resources for social security and the fight against climate change are being destroyed. The damage is borne by the civilian population of Ukraine, Russia, the EU, and the NATO member states. Aggressive nationalism and revanchism further fuel the tensions and are the ideological breeding ground for war. They need to be pushed back. DIE LINKE takes a stand against them. We are at the side of those fighting for democracy, against exploitation and militarism in Germany, Russia, the Ukraine, the whole EU, and the US.

Russias concern about a NATO Eastern advancement is reasonable. By the NATO Eastern enlargment security promises towards Russia have been broken.

Instead, missiles have been deployed, politics of armament continued and NATO undertook manoeuvres in Eastern Europe, only recently manoeuvre Defender Europe 2021.

We condemn Russias breach of international law but notice that Putin invokes the Kosovo war of NATO - which was against international law - as a blueprint for his military aggression. To use this reasoning to legitimise his own military aggression is illegal and tries to cover up that Putin himself sticks to the logic of geopolitical spheres of influence.

The Russian aggression will eventually have the people of Eastern Europe craving even more for NATO as alleged guarantor of their security. Yet, this path will also not ensure security in Eastern Europe but in the long term aggravate conflicts.

As LINKE we are committed to the principles of international law, a peaceful balance of interests and peace keeping. Based on international law we want to turn away from a system of deterrence and armament towards one of disarmament, cooperation and civil balance of interests.

We need great powers to turn away from hegemonic aspirations and the acknowledgement of a multipolar world order of equal partners. The territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine needs to be reinstalled according to international law. No country in Europe may become the pawn of geopolitical interests. To live together peacefully we need a new European security architecture acknowledging the security interests of all countries as equal.

Therefore we demand:

• the acknowledgement of the national sovereignty and borders of Ukraine by Russia
• a stop to deploying and the withdrawal of Russian troops from the regions Donezk and Luhansk
• a return to the internationally binding Minsk agreement. This provides a truce at the contact line, dialogue of the conflict partners, as well as the status of autonomy for the regions Donezk and Luhansk within Ukraine.
• to agree on a mutually military-free security corridor along the Ukrainian-Russian border as well as at the borders of Russia and NATO member states.
• negotiations within the framework of the Normandie format based on a clear commitment for a policy of détente and the principle of joint security.
• a return to armaments control and disarmament negotiations.
• cutting instead of increasing the German military budget.
• a strengthening of the OSCE and its role as mediator and peace keeper.
• no Eastern enlargement of NATO, no arms deliveries to crisis regions.
• the friendly admission of conscientious objectors from Russia and Ukraine.
• a Yes to diplomacy and dialogue on eye level.
• a Yes to peace.

We provide the party structures with designs of these demands for posters and flyers for actions and call for anti-war actions. We seek the dialogue with actors of the peace movement.