This statement was published on January 18, 2022. Read our statement following the Russian invasion of Ukraine here.

A movement championing transnational democracy can only ever be against imperialism, war and violence: the greatest enemies of our values and the world we seek to build.

The rapid buildup of military equipment in Ukraine and surrounding regions is alarming. The transfer of Western troops and material to a region with an eight year old conflict – as well as stationing thousands of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border – only serves to embolden warmongers. This in turn leads to further militarisation from all sides that ultimately benefits the military-industrial complex.

We continue to see Western leaders remaining subservient to the United States and its ruling elite. In response, undemocratic regimes delve deeper into authoritarianism, as a means to opposing US dominance, leaving the world stuck in a dangerous theatre of the absurd that each side uses to justify their actions. 

While Europe is sacrificed to the appetites of imperialists and NATO is allowed to incorporate an additional fourteen nations since the end of the Cold War, ‘progressive’ voices are markedly silent. We are also witnessing the dysfunction of international systems designed to address matters of ‘peace and international security’, with the United Nations seemingly unable to act beyond the podium. 

As DiEM25 we feel compelled to speak out for:

• The resolution of any and all ongoing political conflicts exclusively through peaceful and diplomatic means.
• Putting an end to provocative actions on both sides, be they troop build-ups, delivery of arms, large scale military exercises or continued talks on further expansion of military alliances.
• An end to the further expansion of NATO, with the ultimate goal of making NATO obsolete through the development of a common peace system in Europe and the rest of the world.
• Implementing the Green New Deal for Europe which makes militarised accumulation irrelevant.
• The de-escalation of rhetoric and an end to the warmongering by mainstream media.

The continued investment in the war machine takes us further away from cooperating on the real challenges of our time, such as climate change and global inequality. There is no need for apathy or resignation: there is a way out of conflict and towards a life of peace and cooperation.

This statement was drafted with the help of DiEM25’s Peace and International Thematic Collective.

This statement is co-signed by MERA25 in Greece and in Germany (DiEM25’s political parties).

Photo (c) Reuters

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