Russia must cease its military actions in Ukraine and withdraw its troops from the country, while European countries must come together to negotiate a European peace settlement.
This is the view of the Galway Alliance Against War, which described Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine as “appalling”. The group also called on the Government to “act like the neutral country we are and seek a peaceful resolution to this conflict”.
“The crux of this conflict is guaranteeing the security of all European countries, including Ukraine and Russia,” said a spokesperson for the group. “There is little doubt in our minds that the dissolution of the NATO war alliance must be top of the agenda.”
Washington's role
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GAAW was critical of both NATO and the USA, accusing them of “seeking to expand eastwards”.
“If NATO had kept to its 1991 agreement with Soviet President Gorbachev, and not sought to expand eastwards, this conflict would never have arisen,” said the spokesperson. “NATO, like the Warsaw Pact, should have disbanded. Washington’s duplicity lies at the heart of this crisis.
“Its plan to surround Russia on its borders with NATO bases and missiles pose a genuine threat to that country. This needs to be recognised. We must all recognise that no country, most especially the USA, would countenance enemy bases and missile sites on its borders.”
Negotiation
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Despite this, GAAW said it is opposed to Russia’s invasion and is “deeply concerned at the loss of life, which could have been prevented through negotiation”.
The group has now called for European states, both within and without the EU, to assemble and work out a peaceful resolution.
“As we have seen in conflicts the world over, most recently in Afghanistan, at the end of the day negotiations will have to take place,” said the GAAW spokesperson. “This appalling invasion is not in the interests of the people of the Ukraine nor the countries of Europe, of which Russia is also an integral part. This crisis is only to the advantage of the USA, and in particular its arms industry.”
