Union of Communists of Ukraine: On the War and the tasks of the working class

The following statement-analysis by the Union of Communists of Ukraine was originally appeared in Russian language in solidnet.org (27 June 2022). It is the first public statement of the Union of Communists for the imperialist war in Ukraine, while the Communist Party of Ukraine has not so far issued any communique. Both political forces have been banned in Ukraine and are currently facing multiple persecutions.

The full statement is as follows:

The general assessment of the nature of the war launched under the guise of a special military operation (SMO) by the Union of Communists of Ukraine (UCU) generally coincides with the Statement of the Communist and Workers' Parties of February 24, 2022, supported by the UCU.

Greek soldier punished because he publicly expressed anti-NATO views

A soldier of the National Militia Battalion in the Greek island of Rhodes was punished by his unit because he expressed views against NATO, USA and the EU, 902 portal reported. More specifically, the soldier published a letter in which he opposes Greece's participation in the dangerous US-NATO imperialist plans and the country's involvement in the Ukraine war.

In a statement, the Solidarity Committee for the Rights of the Conscripts strongly denounces the decision to punish the soldier, underlines the responsibility of the Government and especially the Ministry of Defence and calls for the immediate revocation of the sentence. 

Slavoj Žižek, an apologist of Capitalism disguised as "Marxist philosopher"

By Nikos Mottas.

"The least we owe Ukraine is full support, and to do this we need a stronger Nato [...]  Today, one cannot be a leftist if one does not unequivocally stand behind Ukraine” (The Guardian, June 21, 2022).

Who is the author of the above words? Is it NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg? Or German Chancellor Olaf Scholz? Maybe Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez? None of them. The phrase belongs to a celebrity of contemporary left-wing intelligentsia. The much publicized “Hegelian Marxist” philosopher Slavoj Žižek. 

The European Communist Initiative on NATO summit

Statement of the Secretariat of the Initiative of Communist and Workers Parties:

The NATO Summit, which is taking place on 29–30 June in Madrid, is a step towards the further escalation of NATO aggression against the peoples, but also the intensification of imperialist competition, which is currently manifested in the imperialist military conflict in Ukraine.

The NATO Summit seeks to update the NATO doctrine that is dangerous to the people and to strengthen the aggressive strategy “NATO 2030”. In the context of this strategy, NATO’s Rapid Reaction Force is being legitimized and increased tenfold to over 300,000 troops, focusing on the war zone in Eastern Europe. 

KKE: Statement on the NATO Summit in Madrid

In a statement about the NATO Summit that takes place in Madrid, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) stresses out:

"The NATO Summit that will take place on 29–30 June in Madrid will be a spearhead for the further escalation of NATO’s aggression against the peoples and the sharpening of imperialist competition, which is currently manifested in the fierce military conflict in Ukraine.

The NATO Summit seeks to strengthen the aggressive “NATO’s Strategic Concept”, focusing on:

Workers, Peace Activists, Students denounce the 2022 NATO Summit

Under the slogan "Yes to Peace-No to NATO! Disengage from NATO and dissolve it!", the World Peace Council (WPC) denounces the NATO Summit which takes place in Madrid on 29-30 June. It is noted that the WPC participated in the large anti-NATO rally held in Spanish capital on June 26th. 

More specifically, the WPC stresses out:

The biggest war machine in history, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is having its Summit on 29-30 June in Madrid, Spain. One more summit where the war hawks of 30 countries and their governments will ratify and develop their imperialist plans as a ’’world sheriff’’.

OTAN no, bases fuera! Large, militant anti-NATO rally held in Madrid (VIDEO)

“No to NATO! No to the imperialist war” was the major slogan of the large anti-NATO rally held on Sunday 26th June in Madrid, a few days before the NATO Summit that will take place in the Spanish capital on 29-30 June.

The demonstration began with a gathering at Atocha station and later the protesters marched through central streets towards Plaza de Espana.

Members and supporters of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE) participated in a militant joint bloc, shouting slogans in both Greek and Spanish, such as “OTAN no, Bases FUERA”, “In Greece and Spain the people demand NATO and bases to go away”, “Viva KKE! Viva PCTE!”, etc. The protesters also expressed their solidarity to the detained young communists, Mikhail and Aleksander Kononovich, who remain imprisoned in Ukraine. 

KKE on Stoltenberg's remarks: NATO fosters Turkish aggression against Greece

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday urged Greece and Turkey to resolve their disagreements over the Aegean Sea, where the two are at loggerheads over islands and airspace.

“Diverse views and debate are an essential part of our democracies,” the head of the transatlantic military alliance told Greek news agency ANA.

But, he said, “we urge Greece and Turkey to solve their differences in the Aegean in a spirit of trust and Allied solidarity”. Stoltenberg’s comments came two weeks after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared he was ending regular high-level meetings with Greek leaders intended to foster cooperation between the two countries. 

The enlargement of NATO is a threat to the peoples — Statement by the European Communist Initiative

In a statement issued today, 9 June, the Secretariat of the European Communist Initiative stresses out:

"The Secretariat of the European Communist Initiative deplores and condemns the plans of the bourgeois classes and governments of Sweden and Finland to join NATO. This is a move that entangles the peoples of both countries, the whole of Scandinavia, and overall in great dangers and adventures.

Mexican communists: On the participation of Mexico in U.S. Southern Command military drills

In a statement about Mexico's participation in inter-imperialist military drills sponsored by the U.S. Southern Command, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Mexico (PCM) stresses out:

We condemn the participation of the Mexican State in inter-imperialist military exercises and the strengthening of forces of repression.

We consider it very serious that the Mexican army is participating in the Tradewinds military exercises sponsored by the U.S. Southern Command. This action is an expression of the inter-imperialist alliances in which various bourgeois states participate (Belize, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the United States of America, France, Guyana, Holland, Jamaica, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, and Suriname).

On the unacceptable stance of the RCWP towards KKE

To the CC of the RCWP

Athens 03/06/2022

Comrades,

We received your reply to the CC of the KKE of 6 May 2022 and we also read the article which was published in SOLIDNET.

First of all, we are saddened with the style and the unacceptable accusations addressed to our party in both texts, which are absolutely baseless and unacceptable. The leadership of the RCWP is well aware of the fact that the KKE has supported your party as well many CPs, that it has essentially assisted them in difficult moments, and that it has expressed its solidarity in practice, faithful to the principle of proletarian internationalism. These facts refute the slander of arrogance on our party which are used in order to justify the mistaken positions of the leadership of the RCWP, positions that are far away from our principles.

G. Marinos (KKE): The joint struggle of the communists against NATO and the imperialist war

Following an invitation of the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain, the KKE and the Communist Party of Turkey attended an event in Madrid on the occasion of the NATO Summit that will take place in Madrid in June 2022, under the tile “Your wars, our dead – no to the imperialist war”. Giorgos Marinos, member of the PB of the CC of the KKE, delivered a speech on behalf of the KKE, which reads as follows:

“Dear comrades and friends,

We would like to thank you for the opportunity given to the KKE to participate in today’s event, which is organized by the CP of the Workers of Spain on the 40th anniversary of the accession of Spain to NATO, and to shout out loud our will to strengthen the joint struggle against bourgeois classes, against NATO and all imperialist alliances, against imperialist wars and interventions. 

KKE slams Mitsotakis' government for sending tanks to Ukraine

BMP-1 tank of the Greek Armed Forces.

The Greek government's decision to supply additional armored vehicles to Ukraine consists a “very serious development” which boosts the dangerous participation of the country in the war, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) stresses out in a statement. More specifically, the KKE statement (here in Greek) reads: 

 

“The ND government continues unabated and “gets off the ground” the dangerous participation of our country in the Ukraine war, this time through the sending of armored vehicles. In fact, the issue became known by the German Chancellor Scholz, announcing a Greek-German agreement for their replacement, while Mr Mitsotakis concealed it in his own press conference.  

Greek communists: Alexandroupolis must be a port of the peoples, not a base or a target of the imperialists!

On 27–29 May, the organizations of the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) in the universities of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, Central Macedonia, and Western Macedonia, set up a camp in Alexandroupolis, sending a strong message against the transformation of the city into a launching pad for war and the involvement of the country in the imperialist war. 

Based on the new Greece-US agreement on bases, Alexandroupolis has been selected for the establishment of a new US base, while it is already being used for the transfer of NATO weapons and troops to Eastern Europe.

Communist Parties held anti-NATO event in Madrid

Source: PCTE Twitter

Communists from Spain, Greece and Turkey joined their voice against NATO and the imperialist war in a political event organized by the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE) on Saturday 28 May in Madrid. In a fully packed hall at Centro Cultural El Madroño, under the slogan “Their Wars, Our Dead”, the participants denounced the criminal role of NATO and claimed the disengagement of their countries from the imperialist organization. 

 

Representatives of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) were invited and attended the event, delivering speeches on behalf of their parties. The KKE was represented by Giorgos Marinos, MP and member of the Political Bureau, while the TKP was represented by Ekin Sönmez, Central Committee member and responsible for international relations. 

KKE on the seizure of Greek ships in the Persian Gulf

"The policy of flag-bearer of the US-NATO plans pursued by the Greek government exposes the country and the Greek people to great dangers”, underlines the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party Greece (KKE) on the occasion of the seizure of two Greek-flagged ships by Iranian naval forces in the Persian Gulf on Friday.

More specifically, the KKE statement (here in Greek) points out:

Greece: Mass rally at the Ministry of National Defence against involvement in the imperialist war

A mass rally was held on Sunday 22/5/2022 at the Ministry of National Defence of Greece, the finishing line of the 40th Marathon Peace March, which had started at 8 am from the Marathon Tomb, conveying the message of opposition to the imperialist war, Greece’s involvement in it, and the country’s entanglement in the dangerous plans of NATO.

The march was organized by the Greek Committee for International Détente and Peace (EEDYE), which on the same day organized other mass anti-imperialist demonstrations in Thessaloniki as well as in cities in the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, and Thrace. 

Thousands of protesters in Greece raised their voice against the Greek-American Military Agreement

By Nikos Mottas.

Thousands of people, workers, students, pensioners, men and women of every age, participated on Thursday afternoon in demonstrations in Athens and other major Greek cities against the Greece-USA Agreement which upgrades and extends the existing network of US-NATO military bases in the country. 

The rallies were organized by the the Struggle Committee against the Greece–USA Agreement on Military Bases, with the support of the Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE), the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME), the Federation of Greek Women (OGE), numerous Workers' Unions and Associations, Students' Unions and other groups of the people's movement.  

TKP-KKE: Turkish, Greek communists strengthen joint struggle against imperialism-exploitation

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), two parties with a long history of fraternal relations, organize bilateral meetings and joint events in Turkey between 11 and 15 May.

More specifically, TKP will host a delegation of the KKE within the framework of comprehensive program of visits, meetings and political events throughout Turkey, including major cities Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya and Adana. 

KKE: The imperialist war in Ukraine and the stance of the Russian Communist Workers’ Party (RCWP)

 Article of the International Relations Section of the CC of the KKE

On the stance of the RCWP on the imperialist war in Ukraine

Following the article on the stance of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), we would also like to respond to some questions about the stance of the Russian Communist Workers’ Party (RCWP) regarding the war in Ukraine; questions which also arise from some unfounded remarks made by the RCWP about the Resolution of the CC of the KKE that some “well-intentioned” people, who are hostile to the principled positions of the KKE and support the geopolitical plans of the Russian bourgeoisie, took care to translate into Greek and disseminate in various media outlets.