Dear Editor: Sitkans for Peace and Democracy invites community members to protest the meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin this Friday, August 15, noon-1 p.m., at the Crescent Harbor Green, along the sea walk. Bring signs!
According to NPR, the meeting is a diplomatic coup for Putin, isolated since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Putin sees the meeting with Trump as a chance to cement Russia’s territorial gains, keep Ukraine out of NATO and prevent it from hosting any Western troops so Moscow can gradually pull the country back into its orbit.
Sitkans for Peace and Democracy joins with the international community in demanding that a path to peace for Ukraine must be determined with Ukraine. We stand with 30 humanitarian and foreign policy-focused organizations – including Amnesty International USA, Oxfam America, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Church World Service, and the Friends Committee on National Legislation – who recently urged the Administration and Congress to support a long-term peace that focuses on the rights and needs of civilians: “Russia’s war in Ukraine has led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands, destroyed countless homes, and displaced 10 million people. Diplomacy that centers the rights and needs of civilians may be long and complex, but it is critical to establishing long-term peace. The people impacted by war need U.S. policymakers to be invested in this important process.”
We also call for the arrest of Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes related to the forced deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia in March 2023. There is an arrest warrant out, but neither Russia nor the U.S. currently recognizes the court.
Please join us!
Wendy Alderson, Donna Donohoe,
Tory O’Connell Curran,
Jamie Panzero and Krisanne Rice
Sitkans for Peace and Democracy
Bruce Gazaway, Sitka Unitarian Social Action Committee
