An independent struggle is needed against monopolies and bourgeois classes, for the overthrow of capitalism, for the strengthening of the class struggle against imperialist war, for socialism!

1. The Communist and Workers’ Parties signing this Joint Statement are opposed to the imperialist conflict in Ukraine, which constitutes one of the consequences of the tragic situation for the peoples shaped after the overthrow of socialism and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Both the bourgeois and the opportunist forces, which for years have fought against the USSR and recently celebrated the 30^th anniversary of its dissolution, silencing the fact that the restoration of capitalism meant the dismantling of historic workers’ and people’s achievements and brought the peoples of the USSR back to the era of class exploitation and imperialist wars, are completely exposed.

2. The developments in Ukraine, which are taking place in the framework of monopoly capitalism, are linked to the US, NATO, and EU plans and their intervention in the region in the context of their fierce competition with capitalist Russia for the control of the markets, raw materials, and transport networks of the country. These pursuits are concealed by imperialist powers, which are in conflict promoting their own pretexts such as “defending democracy”, “self-defence”, and one’s right to “choose their alliances”, the compliance with the UN or OSCE principles, or supposedly “fascism”, while deliberately detaching fascism from the capitalist system that gives rise to and utilizes it.

3. We denounce the activity of fascist and nationalist forces in Ukraine, anti-communism and the persecution of communists, the discrimination against the Russian-speaking population, the armed attacks of the Ukrainian government against the people in Donbas. We condemn the utilization of reactionary political forces of Ukraine, including fascist groups, by the Euro-Atlantic powers for the implementation of their plans. In addition, the anti-communist rhetoric against Lenin, the Bolsheviks, and the Soviet Union  to which the Russian leadership resorts to justify its own strategic plans in the region, is unacceptable. However, nothing can tarnish the enormous contribution of socialism in the Soviet Union, which was a multinational union of equal Socialist Republics.

4. The decision of the Russian Federation to initially recognize the “independence” of the so-called “Peoples’ Republics” in Donbas and then to proceed to a Russian military intervention, which is taking place under the pretext of Russia’s “self-defence”, the “demilitarization” and “defascistization” of Ukraine, was not made to protect the people of the region or peace but to promote the interests of Russian monopolies in Ukrainian territory and their fierce competition with Western monopolies. We express our solidarity with the communists and the peoples of Russia and Ukraine and we stand on their side to strengthen the struggle against nationalism, which is fostered by each bourgeoisie. The peoples of both countries, who lived in peace and jointly thrived in the framework of the USSR, as well as all other peoples have no interest in siding with one or another imperialist or alliance that serves the interests of the monopolies.

5. We highlight that the illusions fostered by bourgeois forces claiming that there could be a “better security architecture” in Europe by EU intervention, NATO “without military plans and aggressive weapon systems in its territory”, a “pro-peace EU”, or a “peaceful multipolar world”, etc are highly dangerous. All these assumptions have nothing to do with reality and are misleading for the anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist struggle, seeking to cultivate the perception that “peaceful imperialism” may exist. However, the truth is that NATO and the EU, like any capitalist transnational union, are predatory alliances with a deeply reactionary nature that cannot become pro-people and will continue to act against workers’ and people’s rights and the peoples; that capitalism goes hand in hand with imperialist wars.

6. We call on the peoples of the countries whose governments are involved in the developments, especially through NATO and the EU but also Russia, to struggle against the propaganda of the bourgeois forces that lure the people to the meat grinder of imperialist war using various spurious pretexts. To demand the closure of military bases, the return home of troops from missions abroad, to strengthen the struggle for the disengagement of the countries from imperialist plans and alliances such as NATO and the EU.

7. The interest of the working class and the popular strata requires us to strengthen the class criterion for analyzing the developments, to chart our own independent path against monopolies and  bourgeois classes, for the overthrow of capitalism, for the strengthening of the class struggle against imperialist war, for socialism, which remains as timely and necessary as ever.

Communist and Workers Parties signing the Joint Statement

1. Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism
2. Communist Party of Azerbaijan
3. Party of Labour of Austria
4. Communist Party of Bangladesh
5. Communist Party of Belgium
6. Movement "Che Guevara" (Union of Communists in Bulgaria)
7. Communist Party of Canada
8. The Road of Independence - Turkchypriot party/Cyprus
9. Communist Party in Denmark
10. Communis Party of Denmark
11. Communist Party of El Salvador
12. Communist Party of Finland
13. Communist Workers' Party - For Peace and Socialism, Finland
14. Communist Revolutionary Party of France (PCRF)
15. Communistes, France
16. Communist Party of Greece
17. Tudeh Party of Iran
18. Communist Party of Kurdistan-Iraq
19. Workers Party of Ireland
20. Communist Front (Italy)
21. Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan
22. Socialist Party of Latvia
23. Communist Party of Malta
24. Communist Party of Mexico
25. New Communist Party of the Netherlands
26. Communist Party of Norway
27. Palestinian Communist Party
28. Communist Party of Pakistan
29. Paraguayan Communist Party
30. Peruvian Communist Party
31. Philippines Communist Party [PKP 1930]
32. Communist Party of Poland
33. Romanian Socialist Party
34. South African Communist Party
35. Communist Party of the Workers of Spain
36. People's Liberation Front (JVP)-Srilanka
37. Sudanese Communist Party
38. Communist Party of Swaziland
39. Communist Party of Sweden
40. Swiss Communist Party
41. Syrian Communist Party
42. Communist Party of Turkey
43. Union of Communists of Ukraine
44. Communist Party of Venezuela

Communist Youth Organisations signing the Joint Statement

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 24.02.2022