On the first anniversary of the outbreak of the proxy war between NATO and Russia, the chances of it escalating into a direct war between nuclear armed NATO and Russia increases as NATO continues to pour arms and tanks into Ukraine with the promise of more to come. Russia in turn has ended its participation in nuclear arms control with the US.

The proximate cause of this situation has been the expansion of NATO and its project to constrict its imperial competitor, Russia, by establishing large bases of troops and mass destructive weapons along its western and southern borders.

One year ago the Communist Party of Ireland condemned the escalation of violence in the region since the US orchestrated coup of 2014, including the killing of 14,000 people in the Donbass by Ukrainian forces and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, which has resulted in the death and displacement of countless civilians and we called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and a political solution within the UN-negotiated Minsk Agreements of 2014. Such a solution would encompass a demilitarized, neutral Ukraine, with all foreign forces and mercenaries removed and the dismantling of neo-fascist para-military groupings.

Today the need for a ceasefire and genuine negotiations is more urgent than ever. Hawkish elements within NATO oppose peace negotiations, preferring to risk nuclear armageddon in their quest to eliminate Russia as an imperial rival. The EU is actively involved in the war against Russia and it played a major role in bringing it about by its active involvement in the 2014 coup and its continued attempts to subsume Ukraine within its structures.

The Irish political and media establishment, in an updated version of John Redmond’s slavish Woodenbridge speech urging Irish youth to their death to protect the “ civilization” of the British Empire, vie with each other as they demand we abandon our tradition of neutrality and fight to defend “democracy”.

The Irish government’s strategy has been deeper intervention in Ukraine including supplying arms and now military training for Ukrainian forces in complete contravention of the triple lock on the deployment of Irish troops.

The Communist Party of Ireland calls on all progressive and democratic forces in Ireland to put pressure on the Government to break with the pro-War forces within the EU and instead to call for a ceasefire and a political solution.

The Communist Party of Ireland also call on all progressive and democratic forces to demand,

The enshrining of Neutrality in the Constitution as the the best way to block the Irish establishment bringing this state into NATO.

That Ireland withdraws from all EU military structures.

The ending of the US military use of Shannon Airport.

The dissolution of NATO and the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Europe.

Editor: Zhong Yao、Huang He

From: https://communistparty.ie/en/2023/02/statement-on-1st-anniversary-ukraine-war/（2023-2-24）