The peace group and other organizations such as the Fellowship of Reconciliation have also been urging leaders of the faith community and social justice movements to support the campaign. Dr. Cornel West and the Rev. Jesse Jackson have gotten behind the effort.
The Ukraine War began in February when Russia invaded Ukraine in what Russia called a "Special Military Operation." US and Ukrainian officials called the invasion an act of naked aggression --- completely unjustified and illegal under international law. Russian officials maintained, however, they acted after a series of provocations by Ukraine and the US-led military alliance, NATO, which has bases in many countries close to Russia.
The US has supplied over $100 billion in military aid to help Ukraine to fight the war.
Negotiations to end the war have stalled, with Biden administration officials indicating little interest in peace talks. A tentative plan to end the war last April --- agreed to by Russia and Ukraine --- fell apart after the US rejected the deal.
The possibility the war could turn nuclear arose after Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky suggested a preemptive missile strike against Russia, to prevent Russia from using nuclear weapons. Russian officials said they viewed Zelensky's remarks as suggesting that NATO launch a first strike nuclear attack against Russia. Zelensky later denied that was the case.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country would not fire a nuclear first strike at Ukraine, but said Russia would use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack.
Noam Chomsky, the world-renown intellectual and long-time foreign policy critic, warned recently the future of humanity may be imperiled if the war is not brought to a close in the near future.
Chomsky foresees possible catastrophe in two ways --- first by the possibility of a nuclear war starting in Ukraine; and second, by the environmental damage caused the wider use of highly-polluting liquid natural gas, as the flow of Russian gas has been stopped. He said the world only has limited time to shut down high-carbon fossil fuel usage and control global warming, and the more intense use now of dirty fuel will only hasten the onset of a climate collapse.
"Every possible path to a diplomatic settlement should be pursued," Chomsky told an audience at The Peoples Forum. "There is no time for delay."
The International Peace Bureau is calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine for Christmas 2022/2023 from Dec. 25th to January 7th "as a sign of our shared humanity, reconciliation and peace."
The International Peace Bureau, based in London, is dedicated to a "vision of a world without war" and works for "disarmament for sustainable development."
It has collected close to 2000 signatures from 400 different organizations around the world backing its appeal. (ipb.org)
To ask for a Christmas Truce in Ukraine, call the White House at 202-456-1111 and your members of Congress at 202-224-3121.
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