CAPA calls for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine through ceasefire and negotiations. We also call for a cessation of U.S. military spending in support of the conflict. Only through those steps will we see an end to the human suffering, physical destruction, and rising nuclear threat that now plague the region.

While the reasons that lie behind this position are many, several stand out.

1. The war is unwinnable by either side, given the strength of Russia, the resolve of the Zelensky government, and economic involvement of the U.S. government and its NATO allies.

2. The unimaginable devastation and suffering inflicted by the war thus far cannot but trouble the conscience of all people who care about saving human lives. Beyond the massive destruction of buildings and infrastructure, the loss of life is staggering. More than 100,000 Russian and 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, and more than half a million have been severely injured—by conservative estimates. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians also have died.

3. The war constantly increases the chances that nuclear weapons could be used, an eventuality that well could lead to nuclear war and the end of human and other life across much of the planet.

4. The impact of the war on climate change is, and will continue to be, massive. Tanks and planes burn fossil fuels and emit great amounts of carbon; the fighting causes an ecological disaster on the ground; and the animosity makes it impossible for the warring parties to work together in the fight against global warming.

5. The hundreds of billions of dollars that have already been spent, added to the even more that will be required to rebuild Ukraine, are robbing all of resources needed to make society more just—from improving education, providing health care, fighting poverty, and confronting climate change.

6. A negotiated settlement is supported by seventy percent of the American public.

CAPA also recognizes that an end to this war cannot be achieved without an admission of the responsibility the U.S. bears for creating many of the conditions that have led to the fighting. These include the eastward expansion of NATO to the borders of Russia, the use of Ukraine in what many see as a proxy war against Russia, the total unwillingness to recognize any of the fears and concerns that understandably motivate the Russian government, the failure to recognize the diversity of opinion about Russia within Ukraine itself, and the unquestioned support of an increasingly authoritarian direction taken by the Zelensky  government. We see it as imperative too that the U.S. adopt its realist role in a multipolar world, turn away from the destabilizing myth of America as the indispensable nation, and  recognize the legitimate desire of all nations to be allowed voice and self determination. 

It is important that we work actively to inform the public about these facts, and that we all contact legislators and other opinion leaders to move public policy in the necessary direction. To join the effort, please visit the Get Involved page on CAPA’s website.