Decision by the Yabloko Federal Political Committee of 24 November, 2023, published on 7 December, 2023

Photo by Pavel Lisitsyn/RIA Novosti

The Yabloko party again and again persistently calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine and peace negotiations.

We are confident that nothing is more important than preserving human lives and their future. Human life is the highest value, it is more important than territories, political or national ambitions. The continuation of large-scale hostilities leads to new huge human victims, irretrievable and irreversible human loss – unlike territories.

The conflict has entered a position warfare stage, when the situation on the line of contact has remained almost unchanged for many months, with only an increase in the number of casualties and the scale of destruction. It is increasingly clear that the winner in this conflict will not be revealed on the battlefield; decisive military victory in such a clash is impossible for either side.

It is equally obvious that for both Russia and Ukraine, an early ceasefire is a question of the existence of these countries in the 21st century, a question of whether these peoples have a future. This is a fundamental security issue for the whole of Europe, and, possibly, the world.

Concluding a ceasefire agreement will not only help to save lives. Only after concluding a ceasefire agreement can all interstate issues, including territorial ones, be truly discussed.

An increasing number of world military experts and specialists, leading historians and political scientists understand this and support the need for a ceasefire. Sociological polls also show that more than half of Russian citizens already support this point of view. However, this position is not yet shared by politicians in power – neither in Russia, nor in Ukraine, nor in the USA, nor in the European Union – and the conflict continues.

In such a situation, a ceasefire proposal needs the widest possible public support. It is necessary to constantly talk to people about it, convince them of its correctness and explain the consequences of refusing a ceasefire.

The continuation of hostilities does not only mean new casualties. The consequences will be economic degradation, growing internal split in society, cruelty and aggression, a return to Soviet practices in life, and increased political repression that threatens to turn into political terror.

Continuation of hostilities is a loss of the future for both Russia and Ukraine.

Grigory Yavlinsky,

Chairman of the Federal Political Committee,

Yabloko