Resolution by the Federal Council of Yabloko, adopted by the Federal Council on 30.11.2024, published on 6.12.2024

Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

The bloodiest and most dangerous armed conflict in central Europe since the end of World War II has been going on for over 1,000 days. During this time, the Yabloko Party’s demand to stop the bloodshed has been clear and persistent. We note with bitterness that our assessments and forecasts have proven correct, while numerous warnings about the danger of a major war have gone unheard.

In March 2014, the Federal Political Committee of the Yabloko Party proposed convening an international conference on the normalisation of Russian-Ukrainian relations. At that time, both the countries and the international community still had opportunities to prevent escalation, create conditions for dialogue, and slow down the degradation of international relations that we are witnessing today. After the outbreak of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, we went out into the streets on Peace Marches demanding an end to the propaganda of hatred and enmity.

In 2017, we presented a Plan for Peaceful Settlement in Donbass, which envisaged a multilateral agreement on the interim status and international management of the territories, real demilitarisation of the region, and ensuring the security of the population by international peacekeeping forces. We consistently proposed this plan at the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Throughout 2021, Yabloko warned society about the risks of a direct clash between Russia and Ukraine: this was the main purpose of our participation in the elections of deputies of the State Duma. We provided Russian citizens a chance to vote for peace and slow down the catastrophic slide into the abyss. The suicidal position of a part of the Russian opposition, which called for forgetting about values ​​and voting for communists and nationalists for the sake of an illusory decrease in votes for the ruling party, resulted in the defeat of human rights organisations and the liberal press, a snowballing increase in the number of repressive laws and persecution for dissent.

In January 2022, the Party appealed to Russian citizens to stop the impending tragedy, and the Federal Political Committee of Yabloko presented a realistic action plan to avoid war. A week before the start of the special military operation, we launched an anti-war petition that collected 100,000 signatures of Russians.

From the very beginning of hostilities, Yabloko has been calling for a ceasefire agreement, a peaceful settlement of the conflict, and a return to civilised dialogue and good-neighbourly relations. For three years, our candidates have been participating in elections with a single slogan “For Peace and Freedom”. We speak on behalf of millions of Russian citizens for whom the value of human life is important.

One of the key achievements of world politics in the second half of the 20th century was nuclear disarmament and a radical reduction in the probability of war that could lead to the destruction of humanity. However, the events of recent years indicate a rejection of global responsibility for the lives of millions of people and the existence of modern civilisation. The system of international security, institutions and agreements is collapsing. Nationalist and populist forces are triumphant in the leading countries. An additional source of instability is Donald Trump’s coming to power in the USA, [a leader] who is skeptical of institutions and has unpredictable political intentions and ideas regarding the developments in the world politics.

The decision of the outgoing US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to launch missile strikes deep into Russian territory and the Kremlin’s response to change the nuclear doctrine expanding the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons, provoke a dangerous escalation and create a situation in which the scenario of nuclear Armageddon becomes even more real. Unfortunately, unlike during the Cold War, today’s politicians are not afraid of this alternative: insufficient competence, geopolitical illusions and short-term personal gains deprive them of a sense of reality and vision of the future.

However, this does not mean that world leaders, like sleepwalkers, can be allowed to continue their carefree movement towards mutual destruction. It is necessary to stop the Russian-Ukrainian conflict from escalating into a third world war, and to significantly reduce international tensions without any capitulations from either side. Someday we will build a free and fair world together, but now we need to step back from the abyss, recognise our responsibility to the future, and agree not to destroy it.

Later, after the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement, a huge amount of political and diplomatic work will be required – negotiations and agreements on the entire spectrum of military, strategic, geopolitical, and a number of other critical security issues, including:

– on restoring and expanding channels of diplomatic communication to discuss security issues, including incident prevention;

– on commitments to respect borders and territorial integrity of states, as well as principles for resolving territorial disputes;

– on renewal of the treaties on reducing stockpiles of strategic and tactical nuclear weapons, and banning nuclear tests;

– on reduction and limitation of strategic offensive weapons;

– on a new fundamental act on mutual relations, cooperation and security between Russia and NATO;

– on a new treaty on conventional armed forces in Europe;

– on the demilitarisation of outer space;

– on control over new types of weapons (hypersonic missiles, etc.) and a ban on autonomous weapons systems equipped with artificial intelligence;

– on the exchange of intelligence data and coordination of actions to combat terrorism and cyber threats;

– on obligations to respect human rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and minority rights;

– on the resumption and development of trade relations, mutual lifting of sanctions, and restoration of cultural, scientific and educational ties;

– on partnership to reduce carbon emissions, and exchange technologies in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency;

– on cooperation in the field of preventing global pandemics and coordinating efforts to produce vaccines.

However, now the primary and necessary step to start negotiations is a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine without any preconditions.

There is no and cannot be any final military solution to this conflict.

Everyone has already lost in it. While both sides are counting the centimeters of captured and recaptured territories, people are being killed every day, every hour and every minute: military and civilians, men and women, children and the elderly, citizens of Russia and citizens of Ukraine. It is impossible to count all the dead and wounded now, but most importantly, it is impossible to bring back the lost and crippled lives.

Continuation of hostilities can lead the world to a global catastrophe. Whatever protest or even anger our position may cause on different sides of borders, trenches and barricades, it is becoming increasingly clear every day that this is the only path to a more or less normal future.

We once again call for an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations.

Nikolai Rybakov,

Yabloko Party Chairman