Sending more arms to Ukraine won't bring peace or end the suffering
Sending more arms to Ukraine won't bring peace or end the suffering
British pacifists have said that sending more Western arms to Ukraine will fuel war and do nothing to bring peace.
The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) has consistently condemned Putin's militarism and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The PPU is British section of War Resisters' International, which also includes the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement and the Russian Movement for Conscientious Objectors.
As well as condemning Putin's invasion, the PPU has also criticised attempts by Western governments and arms companies to misuse the suffering of Ukrainian people for their own strategic and commercial interests.
The German government is under international pressure from NATO countries to supply tanks to the Zelensky government in Ukraine. The UK government recently supplied Challenger tanks to Zelensky's forces.
But the PPU said that more war cannot lead to peace. They backed calls by the Ukranian Pacifist Movement for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and for all sides to engage in real and meaningful negotiations.
The PPU also continues to back the thousands of Russians who are protesting against the war, and the hundreds of Russian soldiers who have refused to fight in Ukraine. Last year, the PPU called on the British government to offer asylum to Russians who refuse to fight.
Albert Beale, an elected member of the Peace Pledge Union's National Council, said:
"If we learn the lessons of centuries of human history, the idea that war is the path to peace is absurd.
"When the fighting ends, and the inevitable talks and compromises happen, there will be a long period before those involved can get beyond what they have experienced and live alongside one another peacefully again. Meanwhile, every extra bullet fired - whoever fires it - means that eventual recovery will be slower and more agonising for all involved. Not to mention that more bullets mean fewer people left alive to take part in that recovery.
"It's clear to our fellow pacifists in Ukraine and Russia, as it is to us, that the only realistic path is an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. The idea that you only stop fighting when you're 'winning' is nonsense: no person 'wins' in a war."