[CODEPINK Ukraine War protest in DC/March 5, 2022]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 23, 2024
Media Contact: Melissa Garriga | [email protected]
CODEPINK Renews Call for Diplomacy and Peace Talks on Second Anniversary of Ukraine War
As the war in Ukraine marks its second tragic anniversary, CODEPINK stands firm in its belief that there is no military solution to a conflict provoked by US-backed NATO expansion. We oppose funding this proxy war and instead urge the United States government to prioritize peace talks and diplomatic efforts.
We urge Congress to oppose an additional $61 billion towards prolonging the stalemate in Ukraine. We recognize the only winners will be the war profiteers; Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, the weapons manufacturers.
The costs of this war and all war is unsustainable. Even though the United States has already spent more than $113 billion over the past two years on weapons and assistance for Ukraine, Ukrainians are no closer to peace and stability than they were when Russia invaded in 2022. They are farther away now than in March 2022, when Russia and Ukraine were close to a neutrality agreement, which the United States and the UK sabotaged.
The costly pursuit of a fictional military solution is not limited to dollars. The war has resulted in staggering human costs. Tragically, over 10,000 civilians, including over 560 children, have been killed as well as an estimated 500,000 soldiers.
Beyond the horrific human cost is the cost to the environment and the global climate crisis. Homes and hospitals, transportation networks and farmland, energy and civilian nuclear facilities, drinking water and wastewater systems, chemical and steel plants, mining facilities, and vital seed banks have been destroyed or severely damaged, leading to environmental degradation that will last decades after the last shot is fired.
The United States cannot continue to fund the spiral of death and destruction to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, while millions of its citizens face homelessness, lack of healthcare, and unaffordable education. Insisting that Russia is our greatest threat instead of the climate crisis leaves the U.S. population defenseless in the face of the ever-increasing climate disasters that require global cooperation and demilitarization.
Prolonging the war in Ukraine will not stabilize the region nor bring peace to Ukrainians; only peace talks and diplomacy can do that. Stop the weapons. Start the talks.
Negotiations now - for people and the planet.
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