Diplomacy Now!

The bloodshed in Ukraine must end. We stand with the people of Ukraine and all the victims of this war. They all need a perspective of peace and freedom as soon as possible. One thing is clear though: This will hardly be possible without negotiations. Only 20 percent of all interstate wars end in either victory or defeat, and often only after many years. We must therefore make every effort now to pave the way for peace negotiations.

Even if there are hardly any signals from the Kremlin that there is interest in negotiations that go beyond prisoner exchanges and the like. Negotiations can also be brokered. It is not enough to wait for the governments in Kyiv and Moscow to sit down at a table on their own initiative or for the war-weariness of those involved in this bloody war of attrition to force the governments to do so. We here in Germany, Europe and the "West" no longer want to discuss exclusively which weapons they should deliver next. Instead, we want to discuss how the governments of the "West" could facilitate, simplify or initiate peace talks. Who are possible and necessary partners? How can for example diplomatic initiatives from China, Brazil, the African countries or others exert joint pressure on the warring parties?

We need to put pressure on our governments, which are currently more concerned with the systemic confrontation with China and Russia than with genuine solidarity with the people in Ukraine.

The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation therefore invites you to discuss the various international peace initiatives. As we all know, there are different perspectives on this war on the international left. Nevertheless, we believe that a common position is possible: a united appeal for negotiations and pressure on our governments to invest not only in weapons, but also in diplomacy. Because what is at stake is people's lives, their peace and their freedom. And furthermore the question of how peace and security in Europe can be secured in future without further military build-up and how a new bloc confrontation can be prevented, also in the interests of other major global concerns such as social justice, climate, the environment and democratic participation.

With international guests, scientists and political representatives from Ukraine, Russia, China, South Africa, India and various European countries.

Preliminary Program

(German/English):

(1) What’s at stake 12-2 p.m. (workshop)
– Lunch Break –
(2) International initiatives 3-6 p.m. (workshop)
– Coffee Break –
(3) Presentation of the Peace Appeal 7-9 p.m. (public event)
–  Get together –

• What is at Stake in Ukraine
  a. Intro: Why we need international diplomatic initiatives (Heinz Bierbaum, chairman Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation & International Peace Bureau)
  b. Ukrainian and Russian perspectives
  Volodymyr Ishchenko (Free University Berlin)
  Alexey Gromyko (Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Science) &
  Boris Kagarlitsky (requested, from prison)
• International diplomatic initiatives
  a. Brasil 
  Mónica Valente (Worker’s Party Brasil)
  Ana Garcia (PUC Rio)
  a. India (Anuradha Chenoy, Jindal Global University)
  b. China (Wang Hui, University of Beijing)
  c. South Africa (Vishwas Satgar, University of Withwatersrand)
• Further International Positions
  a. Japan (Kazuo Shii, Chair of The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Japan)
  b. Italy (Luciana Castellina, Sinistra Italiana)
  c. Vatican (requested)
  d. France (Manon Aubry, Member of the European Parliament, La France Insoumise, requested)
  e. Belgium (Marc Botenga, Member of the European Parliament, Belgian Worker’s Party, requested)
  f. Germany (Janine Wissler, Party Chairwoman of the Die Linke)
  g. Peace & Justice Project (Jeremy Corbyn)
  h. Progressive International (David Adler or Naomi Klein, requested)
• Public presentation of the International Appeal for Diplomacy Now!