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Letter to the Left on Ukraine

To end the war in Ukraine, peace champions must win the war of ideas. This requires tackling two often-repeated claims that serve as obstacles to a diplomatic agreement between Ukraine and Russia. The first problematic claim is that the war was unprovoked; the second that Ukraine can achieve a decisive military victory.

By Marcy Winograd

To challenge claims the Russian invasion of Ukraine was an “unprovoked” decision of an imperial maniac, the anti-war Left has pointed to the official expansion of NATO –a hostile military alliance on Russia’s borders– as the match that lit the fire, unleashing death, destruction and displacement upon the breadbasket of the world.

NATO’s official expansion from 12 countries at the end of WWII to now 30 countries, including countries sitting on Russia’s neck-was not a neighborhood bake sale or a regional Tupperware party.

It was, however, old news.

Supporters of sending  billions more in weapons to Ukraine argue that NATO expansion largely ended 18 years before the Russian invasion, in 2004 with the addition of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lituania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Russia President Putin’s order to invade his neighbor, they argue, was untethered to Russian national security concerns.

Two Little Known Documents

To shift public opinion against weaponizing endless war in Ukraine, it’s imperative the Left present persuasive evidence to debunk the impulsive madman myth that suggests one cannot negotiate a diplomatic resolution with an unprovoked leader of 143-million people who rolled out of bed one morning determined to reconstitute the Czarist empire.

The Left must turn its attention to two little-talked about agreements, one signed by President Biden and Ukrainian President Zelensky on Sept. 1, 2021, the other signed by  Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleb on Nov. 10, 2021, three months before Russia invaded Ukraine.

The September, 2021, Joint Statement on the U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Partnership reaffirmed Ukraine as a de facto NATO partner, “to continue our robust training and exercise program in keeping with Ukraine’s status as a NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner.”

Established at the Wales Summit in 2014, the Partnership Interoperability Initiative (PII) encouraged favored non-NATO nations, then Australia, Finland, Georgia, Jordan and Sweden–the NATO farm team– to share intelligence and participate in NATO-led military interventions, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and join in euphemistically-labeled “war games.”

For Ukraine’s support of NATO operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, as well as cyber defense and Black Sea maritime maneuvers, NATO in 2020 welcomed Ukraine into the club of favored NATO wannabes, awarding Ukraine special status as the 6th Enhanced Opportunity Partner (EOP) to receive military training and participate in the multinational NATO Response Force (NRF) of land, air, and sea troops and Special Operations Forces to deploy in a flash, wherever commanded. Such B list status allowed Ukraine to integrate into NATO’s military command structures to prepare, plan and conduct joint operations.

The NATO Farm Team

The degree of present-day involvement of “enhanced opportunities partners” in NATO remains a mystery shrouded in secrecy, even as NATO conducts mock nuclear exercises during Europe’s largest war since the second world war. For two weeks in October fourteen NATO countries, most unnamed, participated in the annual training and flying missions commanding fighter jets and B-52 capable nuclear bombers, albeit without live warheads, over Belgium, the United Kingdom and the North Sea in a dress rehearsal for a nuclear attack on Russia.

According to the Federation of American Scientists, Steadfast Noon participants were to practice conducting strikes with US nuclear equipment loaded onto fighter jets of non-nuclear NATO countries–a violation of the spirit of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

One does not need a cinematic Hollywood imagination to envision Ukraine, part of NATO’s farm team, one day agreeing or rather inviting the US and NATO to install nuclear equipment on Ukrainian fighter jets targeting Russia–or go one step further to install nuclear weapons in Ukraine itself, much as the US has installed its nuclear weapons in the NATO countries of Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.

Now the argument that Ukraine was not a NATO country, would never be allowed to join NATO, had nothing to do with NATO and, therefore, posed no existential threat to Russia falls flat. As does the argument that Ukraine posed no nuclear threat to Russia because it had agreed to transfer back to Russia the nuclear weapons left in Ukraine following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Who needs nuclear weapons when you can borrow them like a prom dress or store borrowed nukes in your air base garage?

Following an innocuous preamble that references “democratic values, respect for human rights and the rule of law, “the November 2021 US-Ukraine Charter on Strategic Partnership committed the US and Ukraine to joint defense and security operations “deepening cooperation in areas such as Black Sea security, cyber defense and intelligence sharing ..”

Crimea

Additionally, the Charter of Strategic Partnership endorsed Ukraine retaking a strategic asset in Russia’s defense operations: Crimea. The document emphasizes the US’s refusal to ever recognize Crimea, home to ethnic Russians, as part of Russia, stating an “unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea and extending to its territorial waters …”

Crimea, a peninsula on the northern coast of the Black Sea, was part of Russia from 1783 until 1954, when Nikita Krushchev, leader of the Soviet Union, peacefully transferred Crimea to Ukraine’s administrative control without seeking a vote of approval from Crimeans. Some historians speculate Krushchev, who had once worked in Ukraine’s mines and married a Ukrainian woman, wanted to make nice in the aftermath of Stalin’s tortuous reign; others conclude Krushchev wanted to extend greater Soviet control over Ukraine.

Even after the transfer, Ukraine allowed Russia’s naval fleet at Sevastopol to remain in place, leasing Crimea to Russia until 2042.

Then came the 2014 Maidan square uprising, revolution, US-backed coup, whatever you want to call it, that overthrew Ukraine’s Russia-friendly President Yanukovych. In a secretly taped phone conversation, State Department official Victoria Nuland, then Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, was recorded engineering the transition government, saying “Fuck the EU” should the European Union not approve of her plan.

Russia grew concerned, deeply concerned. MIght the new Ukrainian leaders, hand-picked by Nuland, evict Russia’s defense forces from the Crimean peninsula? In March 2014, a month after Nuland’s taped phone call, Putin ordered troops to march into Crimea.

The Set Up

Only the most naive would believe Russia would ever again surrender Crimea, which was part of Russia for nearly 200 years and affords Russia naval access to the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean.

In signing the U.S.-Ukraine Charter on Strategic Partnership, Secretary of State Blinken encouraged Ukraine to pursue a goal–repossession of Crimea– that in all probability would never be realized short of massive human suffering, the likes of which we are witnessing today.

The document reads:

The United States and Ukraine intend to continue a range of substantive measures to prevent external direct and hybrid aggression against Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for such aggression and violations of international law, including the seizure and attempted annexation of Crimea … The United States intends to support Ukraine’s efforts to counter armed aggression … until the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

Did Secretary of State Blinken believe Russia’s leaders would play chess or take a nap while Ukraine snatched back Crimea with guns blazing? The subtext of this Strategic Partnership was that the US would pump Ukraine full of weapons so it could fight like hell–or to the last Ukrainian–to reclaim a Russian naval port Ukraine had agreed to lease to Russia for decades. Yes, this was a setup for Ukraine to provoke a war with Russia, so that Ukrainian, not US soldiers, would do the fighting and dying on the battlefield to “weaken” Russia in the interests of maintaining a unipolar world with the US on top.

None of this is to excuse Russia for taking the bait to launch a horrific invasion of Ukraine that has killed or made casualties of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and Russians, uprooted eight million Ukrainians from their homes, sent hundreds of thousands of Russians fleeing conscription, and worsened the climate crisis with more greenhouse gas emissions from missile launches. Rocket attacks and explosions have reduced infrastructure–railways, electrical grids, apartment buildings, oil depots– to charred rubble, leaving blackened cities blanketed by toxic munitions.

Provocation, Not Justification

The focus on the Joint Statement on the U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Partnership and two months later the U.S.-Ukraine Charter of Strategic Partnership (a steroid-enhanced cousin of the former) is not to justify the invasion, but to clarify that the United States and NATO provoked the war from which we all must turn back before we find ourselves engulfed in another world war. In that tragic case, provided we are still alive, the only winners will be the military contractors–Raytheon, manufacturer of the Stinger, surface-to-air missile; Lockheed Martin, the Javelin-a portable anti-tank missile system; and HIMARS rocket.

In a Merry Christmas-Happy New Year gift to bomb-makers, Congress will soon consider a bipartisan amendment to the proposed $850 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to “grant the Pentagon wartime procurement powers.” Such emergency powers would greenlight automatic multi-year renewal contracts for war profiteers to continuously produce more weapons, thus making the US-provoked war in Ukraine a cash cow for military contractors.

How do we turn back? Back to sanity, back to diplomacy?

No Military Solution

Just as we challenge the “unprovoked” claim repeated by the White House and corporate press, we must challenge the fiction that a military solution is the answer.

As Ukraine drove Russian troops out of occupied Kherson, a port city on the Black Sea, reporters championed Ukraine’s victory, telling us Ukrainians –with the wind at their backs–could defeat Russia if only the US and NATO would send more weapons. Days later we learned Kherson was virtually uninhabitable as millions of its Ukrainians struggled to survive following retaliatory Russian missile strikes that knocked out electricity and heat in sub-zero winter temperatures.

To awaken from this nightmare, to disrupt the surge of weapons, to counter the narrative that more rockets and drones will deliver a final military victory for Ukraine, the anti-war Left must build a diverse coalition centered around reasonable demands for a truce leading to a more lasting ceasefire and negotiated peace. To date, over 500 US religious leaders have signed onto a statement calling for a Christmas truce to kick-start diplomatic efforts.

According to Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs, a former economic advisor to Russia and global leader in sustainable development, a diplomatic agreement must address three issues of primary concern: Ukraine’s relationship with NATO; semi-autonomy for the eastern Donbas; the future of Russian-annexed Crimea.

How do we elevate diplomacy? Clearly, the sanctions-drunk US State Department tasked with promoting diplomacy has not prevented conflict, only fomented it with Blinken’s 2021 signing of the U.S-Ukraine Charter on Strategic Partnership affirming the right of Ukraine, already a NATO stepchild, to cross Putin’s red line to officially join NATO.

The Peace in Ukraine Coalition

The elevation of diplomacy is the hard work of the Peace in Ukraine Coalition, which calls for a ceasefire and negotiations, as well as investments in climate, healthcare, housing, education and jobs, not more weapons to prolong the fighting in Ukraine.

Launched by CODEPINK, the coalition also includes Veterans for Peace, World Beyond War, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-US, DSA-International, Massachusetts Peace Action, RootsAction, Progressive Democrats of America and others.

Coalition partners share resources to table at farmers markets, circulate petitions, send letters to Congress, pass resolutions at political clubs, erect picket signs in front of congress members’ offices, elevate the voices of diplomacy on CODEPINK Radio, and support the national tour of Medea Benjamin, cofounder of CODEPINK, and Nicolas J.S. Davies, journalist and researcher, the co-authors of the riveting book, “War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a  Senseless Conflict.”

In the words of the authors, “The lesson of this war is the same one we have failed to learn from every other war; that the real monsters are war itself and the morally bankrupt leaders on all sides, who keep feeding it with our resources and our bodies.”

Join the Peace in Ukraine Coalition to say no to war and yes to diplomacy and peace.

Marcy Winograd is the Coordinator of CODEPINK Congress and a steering committee member of the Peace in Ukraine Coalition. The coalition calls for a ceasefire, peace negotiations and investments in climate, housing, healthcare and jobs, not endless war in Ukraine. To join the coalition, visit peaceinukraine.org

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      • Gonzalo Oviedo
        Gonzalo Oviedo commented 2022-12-16 02:53:51 -0500
        great work, CODEPINK, congratulations. It’s so important that US citizens are informed and educated about all the harm that US militarism makes to the world. More arms and more wars will not make the world better, and this is particularly true for Ukraine. It’s completely false to state that the US can “win” the war in Ukraine with more arms and with escalation of the conflict.
      • Steve Ongerth
        Steve Ongerth commented 2022-12-05 20:35:34 -0500
        Sigh, like Marg Hall, as a long time peace advocate and one who is generally opposed to US imperialism in general, I have to say that Marcy’s piece, above, is about as close to Russian State Media talking propaganda one could get. The “history” and arguments laid out above are flatly rejected by most Ukrainians,including many leftists, socialists, and working class folks. I have compiled a substantial list of evidence to back up my claims (most of which debunk the Cope Pink line): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Vn4J8S8TF-Xionte6i4fqbHdJ3qBAXSR-XqYxBYM2R0/edit#heading=h.5qdcau3cjqm2
      • Marg Hall
        Marg Hall commented 2022-12-04 21:16:32 -0500
        I’m a lifelong peace activist, and a former admirer of Code Pink. However, I think you’ve seriously misread (or not read) Ukrainian history. We’ve become so used to opposing US imperialism, it’s easy to assume the plausibility that we (NATO or the US) have somehow “provoked” this war. This narrative ignores the experience of the Ukrainian people and other peoples of the former Soviet bloc.

        In 1991, 90% of Ukraines voted to leave the Soviet Union. They were already a nation, part of the USSR (ie a Soviet Republic). In 1994, Ukraine became one of the very few countries to unilaterally disarm, giving their large nuclear weapons stockpile to Russia. In exchange the UK, US, and Russia agreed to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity (including Crimea). These countries also promised to provide security guarantees to Ukraine and honor Ukraine’s right to national sovereignty.

        Many Ukrainians resent “Westsplaining” about the war and clueless rants from leftists about the provocation of "NATO enlargement. (https://newrepublic.com/article/165603/carlson-russia-ukraine-imperialism-nato). I find the phrase (“NATO enlargement”) disturbing. Is the US the only actor in this story? Missing is recognition of the agency of at least a dozen central European countries. Did they not actively seek the protection of NATO? Were there not national liberation movements in central Europe, many dating back before NATO? It reminds me of the frame: “Columbus discovered America”…it only tells half the story: it erases the agency, humanity and existence of the Indians.

        It makes sense that the Russian state doesn’t like NATO. So what? NATO protection allows former colonies of Russia to chart their own course. Small countries should be able to decide the alliances that can best protect them. We need to say goodbye to “spheres of influence” and “great powers” who are entitled to “buffer states”. Are you seriously defending the realist world view that brought us the Monroe Doctrine? Yes, we have a stained history. US foreign policy is hypocritical. That’s no excuse for peace activists to do the same. Or to become bystanders to genocide.

        Ukrainian people remember the Holodomor (pre NATO) and the gulag. They have great resilience. They really DO know what they want. They are not dupes or proxies. They desperately need military help to defend themselves in a national liberation struggle against Russian imperialism. They certainly don’t need US peace activists telling them when they should negotiate a cease fire or give away their land.

        Russia is waging a genocidal war. Ukraine needs defensive weapons to survive. There are sometimes just wars and this is one of them. If Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends. When Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons we promised them national security. I’m glad we’re keeping that promise.

        With respect to Crimea, it IS under international law, part of Ukraine. The indigenous people of Crimea (Tartars) were ALL forcibly deported or killed by Stalin in 1944. Then Russian settlers moved in. The Tartars have started to return since Ukrainian independence. Zelensky proposes demilitarization and a return of this land to Tartars.

        Please consider other interpretations, other voices, especially Ukrainian. Study history, listen to their civic leaders, international lawyers, elected officials, peace activists, grandma’s, soldiers, writers. Subscribe to Russian and Ukrainian podcasts and newspapers. Maybe start with reading this message from Ukrainian feminists to peace activists like yourselves: https://commons.com.ua/en/right-resist-feminist-manifesto/.
      • Jeffrey Turner
        Jeffrey Turner commented 2022-12-04 18:35:28 -0500
        You’re very solicitous of poor old Putin. Has he agreed to your ceasefire? Do you see any difference between Russia leasing Crimea, and Russia annexing Crimea? Are there any international laws or norms that should apply to Russia? What about the nuclear weapons that were stationed in Ukraine at the dissolution of the USSR, why isn’t Ukraine aiming those at Russia? How much of Ukraine should Russia get? What does Ukraine get out of this?

        Ukraine is only a senseless conflict if you ignore the KGB man in the Kremlin. This id Putin’s second war on Ukraine, after two on Chechnya, and at least one against Georgia. Again, how is the peace coalition approaching Russia?
      • Shateer One
        Shateer One commented 2022-12-04 02:07:17 -0500
        يُمكن مكافحة حشرات القراد الموجودة في المنزل، والتخلّص منها من خلال اتّباع التدابير الآتيّة: ترتيب الفوضى الموجودة في المنزل، وتجنب ترك الملابس المتسخة ملقاة على الأرض؛ لأن القراد يمكن أن يختبئ في أي مكان، ويفضل التواجد في البيئات الدافئة والجافة. غسل الملابس المتسخة التي يُعتقد أنها تحتوي على القراد في الغسالة على أعلى درجة حرارة يُمكن أن يتحملها القماش، ويحذر من وضع هذه الملابس في سلة الغسيل؛ لأنها ستتسبب في انتقال القراد إلى الملابس الموجودة هناك. تنظيف المنزل بالكامل، وتنظيف الرفوف، والزوايا، وكافة المناطق التي يتم تجاهلها أثناء التنظيف اليوميّ، وكنس جميع الأرضيات، وفراش الحيوانات الأليفة، والشقوق الموجودة بالجدران والأرضيات، وأسفل وأعلى الأثاث، وإطارات الأسقف بالمكنسة الكهربائيّة؛ لقدرتها على سحب القراد الموجود هناك، ثم التخلص من كيس المكنسة بعد الانتهاء من ذلك.

        <a href=“”https://www.shaterone.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.shaterone.com/">مكافحة حشرات الكويت</a>
      • Karl Smiley
        Karl Smiley commented 2022-12-03 23:12:01 -0500
        Not even a mention of the Minsk agreement? Or the literal Nazi battalions that our government has been training and arming for at least the last 9 or 10 years? Or the 10s of thousands of Russian speaking civilians in the Donbas that they have been shelling and killing since the coup? Or that this war is intentionally destroying Europe’s economy.(pretty much proven when we blew up the German/Russian Nordstream pipelines). Or how we are losing the economic war and aligning most of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and The Americas south of the border against us and the “west”.
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