Statement: Oppose NATO's escalation in Ukraine

Statement by No Cold War Britain

Europe’s largest war since 1945 is raging in Ukraine. The root cause is the US attempt to expand NATO into Ukraine, following NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe - in violation of promises made to the Soviet Union.

Russia has made it clear that Ukraine joining NATO is a red line it would not allow the US to cross because it would enable the US to station nuclear missiles within a few minutes flight time of Moscow. 

New NATO escalations threaten a still more serious conflict with potential to spill beyond the borders of Ukraine.

This escalation in Ukraine is more dangerous than the Cuban missile crisis.

In Ukraine a nuclear armed NATO and nuclear armed Russia are in direct military conflict - with all the risks of that. But instead of taking steps to bring this war to an end the US/NATO is escalating it.

The US, supported by Britain, has now authorised military attacks inside Russia. Ukraine’s government immediately used this in the most provocative way by attacking Russia’s anti-ICBM strategic nuclear early warning radars at Armavir - Russia’s ICBM system plays no role in the Ukraine war but is a central part of Russia’s defence system against strategic nuclear attack. 

In coordination with the and under Washington's orders, Britain’s government has played a leading public role in advocating for escalation and taken steps ahead of other NATO nations. It is supplying Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine which have a range of over 250km (155 miles) and are therefore capable of hitting targets inside Russia.

Use of NATO weapons in such attacks in Russia, and therefore risk of an equivalent response by Russia, create a clear threat of war spreading beyond Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also announced the creation of a NATO headquarters for operations in the Ukraine war headquartered at the U.S. military base in Wiesbaden, Germany with an initial 700 staff.

On 9 June, French President Emmanuel Macron said France was working to “finalize a coalition” of NATO countries willing to send troops to Ukraine to “train” Ukrainian forces. Instead of just Ukrainian troops being involve in the conflict this would place NATO forces directly in the war - and as Vietnam and other conflicts show “trainers” would actually organise and direct fighting therefore becoming targets in Russian attacks.

This extremely dangerous escalation confirms the correctness of the majority of US experts on Russia and Eastern Europe who warned against NATO expansion of NATO into Eastern Europe. George Kennan, the architect of U.S. policy in the Cold War, called this: “the most fateful error of American policy in the entire post-Cold War era.” The Ukraine war, and dangers of further escalation, fully justify the seriousness of his warning.

Peace talks now

Around Ukraine’s peace conference in Switzerland on 15-16 June, President Zelensky called for talks focusing on “nuclear safety, food security, the return of prisoners of war and Ukrainian children taken to Russian-controlled territory”. Ukraine’s intelligence general Skibitsky admitted to The Economist that the war would end in negotiations.

President Putin, in his speech of 14 June, put forward conditions for peace centring on Ukraine not joining NATO.

Instead of ultra-dangerous NATO escalation there must be a ceasefire and negotiations to discuss the issues behind and conditions for achieving peace in Ukraine.