NCPN and CJB statement
There are new worrying developments in the imperialist war in Ukraine, which are causing further escalation of the war and pose great dangers.
On the 21st of September, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilisation. This was accompanied by the announcement of referenda aimed at justifying the annexation of Russian Federation-controlled territories in Ukraine and, above all, the deployment of mobilised reservists. Threats of deploying nuclear weapons are also being made.
On the side of the US, NATO and EU, increasing military and financial support is being given to the reactionary government in Kiev. Huge amounts of weapons are being sent to Ukraine, including modern weapons systems, as well as other military equipment, military advisers and mercenaries. Thousands of Ukrainians are being trained in NATO countries, to serve as cannon fodder for the interests of US and European capital. The decisions at the NATO summit in June, for further large-scale arming, militarisation and expansion of NATO, throw oil on the fire of inter-imperialist antagonisms.
The Dutch government also plays a role in this escalation. More than €222 million worth of military equipment, weapons, ammunition and equipment have been delivered to Ukraine. Dutch military personnel have been sent to the UK to provide Ukrainian soldiers with modern basic military training. Dutch soldiers, naval ships and fighter jets have been sent to Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean to further increase the pressure. Dutch capital is also already preparing how to make money from investments in war-affected areas, for which the government has already pledged €65 million.
This escalation mainly affects the working class. Primarily the people of Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands have lost their homes. Thousands of people from Ukraine and Russia are dying or injured at the front. Across Europe and the world, people are affected by rising prices and shortages, fuelled by this war.
The war is not being waged by the Euro-Atlantic bloc for the ‘freedom’ and self-determination of the Ukrainian people, nor by Russia and its allies for the ‘denazification’ or ‘self-determination’ of Russian-speaking populations. This is an imperialist war, waged for the interests of the big monopolies in both blocs fighting among themselves for control of territories, markets, raw materials, transport routes and spheres of influence.
The NCPN and the CJB condemn the escalation by both imperialist blocs. In particular, we condemn the role of the Dutch government. This imperialist war once again proves the inhuman nature of imperialism, as the highest stage of capitalism, where ordinary people are pitted against each other and sacrificed as cannon fodder to the interests of the monopolies.
The developments show the importance of building a class-conscious, anti-imperialist peace movement. Indeed, the struggle for peace cannot be separated from the struggle against capitalism and for socialism. As we have seen during more than 70 years of socialism in the Soviet Union, it is possible for the Ukrainian and Russian working classes to live together in peace and on the basis of equality. The temporary restoration of capitalism and the dissolution of the Soviet Union has brought back wars and conflicts not only between Ukraine and Russia, but also between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, etc. Only socialism can unite the workers of the world in a world “in which the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.”
The NCPN and CJB demand:
- Stop all participation of the Netherlands in the imperialist war
- No Dutch armed forces outside our country’s borders
- Stop sanctions against Russia, which have very adverse economic effects on the working class, including in the Netherlands
- the Netherlands must exit imperialist alliances such as NATO and EU, which must be accompanied by a fight against capitalism and for socialism
Central Committee of the NCPN
Central Committee of the CJB