Ukraine: EU Must Take 180-degree turn for Peace

Statement of the Political Secretariat of the European Left

War in Ukraine proves that military solutions have failed—it’s time for the EU’s 180-degree turn to diplomacy, de-escalation, and a real path to peace.

The attempt to resolve the war in Ukraine through military victory has failed for all sides—Russia, which initiated the war, as well as Ukraine and NATO. The people of Ukraine deserve and desire peace. The European Left welcomes every step towards a ceasefire and a peace agreement, in which the Russian Federation recognizes Ukraine’s sovereignty within secure borders, and Ukraine acknowledges that it will not join NATO.

Monitoring a ceasefire and securing a possible peace agreement can only be carried out by impartial authorities. NATO and the EU are not suited to this, as they participated in the war by supplying weapons and training soldiers.

Similarly, we must oppose Keir Starmer’s and Emmanuel Macron’s reckless proposal to deploy British and French ground troops as ‘peacekeepers’ in Ukraine, which would involve three nuclear-armed European powers in direct military action. Monitoring and securing a peace agreement should be organized within the framework of the UN and the OSCE.

The Ukraine and Europe must be involved in both a peace settlement in Ukraine and the development of a system of collective security in Europe and assume responsibility.

Unfortunately, the EU has sidelined itself by neglecting diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The EU Commission must make a 180-degree turnaround in its policy. Instead of advocating for the war’s continuation, it must actively engage in peace efforts. Instead of transforming the EU into a military alliance and further increasing arms spending, we call for a European security dialogue along the lines of the Helsinki process.

The failure of NATO‘s and the EU’s Ukraine strategy to date opens the opportunity for Europe to take its security into its own hands. The people of Europe deserve and desire peace. However, Europe will achieve strategic autonomy not by preparing for war but through policies promoting peace that include all states of the continent. This is the historic moment to start a dialogue aimed at reducing military confrontation and downsizing the levels of armament on European soil.