Peace advocate urges end of Ukraine siege, opposes NATO’S Asian expansion
AGERMAN peace activist called for the immediate cessation of hostilities in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as he opposed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) expansion in Asia.
In a Pandesal Forum in Quezon City, International Peace Bureau (IPB) Executive Director Reiner Braun made an appeal for Russian president Vladimir Putin to suspend his country’s attacks on its neighboring country based on a proposal from Italy.
He noted that late last month, a four-stage plan proposed by Italian envoys to end the Ukraine crisis was presented to the United Nations (UN). First is a ceasefire and demilitarization of the front line in the eastern part of the embattled nation.
Second, is the establishment of Ukraine’s neutrality and its integration into the European Union, but not into NATO.
Third part of the plan is the settlement of conflicts concerning Crimea and Donbass consisting of Donetsk and Luhansk republics under Ukrainian sovereignty, but with a large autonomy.
Last is the signing of a multilateral peace and security agreement for Europe, with focus on disarmament and arms control, as well as the Russian forces’ withdrawal from the territory now claimed by Ukraine.
Braun, who is also a historian and journalist, contradicted Western economic sanctions against Russia. He explained that such a move will not work to end the war, but will just make Russian civilians and the world suffer.
Rather than penalize the Russian economy, the IPB executive suggested that it would be better to target Russian oligarchs and their assets in the West.
According to him, peace in Ukraine can be reached by creating a“new europe security infrastructure,” which should also include Russia’s security concerns and uphold Ukraine’s neutrality.
Meanwhile, efforts of NATO to weaken the Kremlin territory or encircle and contain China in Asia are dangerous, and pose threat to peace and security, said the peace advocate.
Russia has been engaging in “special military operations” against Ukraine for more than three months since its invasion on February 24. It has resulted in the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War 2, with over 6.9 million Ukrainians fleeing their country, and a third of the local population displaced.
As of June 1, a total of 4,169 civilians have died, including 268 children, with 4,982 people reported to have been injured, according to the Office of the UN’S High Commissioner for Human Rights. It specified, however, that the real numbers could be higher, including combatants from both camps.
With Russia’s continued militar y incursions in Ukraine, Braun announced IPB’S plans to hold its World Peace Conference in Manila in 2026.
IPB has been awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize for its advocacies against war, as well as its promotion of disarmament, demilitarization, and denuclearization.